Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh.At 27, she misplaced her father, mom, and three brothers in a 1975 army coup. Returning to Bangladesh six years later, she took the lead of the Awami League occasion, initiating a decade-long battle that included a number of home arrests. Hasina performed a key function in ousting army dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad in 1990, alongside her rival Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering (BNP).
Hasina first grew to become prime minister in 1996 however misplaced the place to Zia 5 years later. Each leaders have been jailed on corruption costs in 2007 following a military-backed coup however have been launched to contest the 2008 elections, which Hasina received decisively. She has remained in energy since, most just lately securing a controversial fifth time period in January amid accusations of election rigging.
Beneath her management, Bangladesh skilled vital financial progress, pushed largely by its garment export business. Since 2009, the economic system has grown a median of over six % yearly, lifting hundreds of thousands out of poverty and offering over 95 % of the inhabitants with entry to electrical energy. In 2021, Bangladesh’s per capita revenue surpassed that of India.
Nevertheless, Hasina’s rule has been criticised for its harsh techniques. Her authorities confronted worldwide condemnation for human rights abuses, together with the mass arrest of political opponents and the execution of prime Islamist leaders. In 2021, the USA imposed sanctions on an elite department of Bangladesh’s safety forces and 7 prime officers for alleged widespread abuses.
Protests that started in July, initially led by college college students towards civil service job quotas, shortly escalated right into a broader motion demanding Hasina’s resignation. The state of affairs intensified final month when police and pro-government pupil teams violently attacked demonstrators.
Regardless of her efforts to defend her legacy, together with touring areas affected by the unrest, Hasina’s grip on energy weakened. “Over 15 years, I’ve constructed this nation,” she insisted. Nevertheless, her autocratic strategies and incapability to deal with dissent in the end led to her downfall.