Profile
Sheikh Hasina: Bangladesh's Longest-Serving Leader
Daughter of Bangladesh's founder, who led the country for two decades
Sheikh Hasina is the eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of Bangladesh's independence. In August 1975 soldiers killed her father and most of her family in Dhaka. She and her sister survived only because they were in Europe, and she lived in exile in India for six years.
She returned to lead her father's party, the Awami League, and became prime minister in 1996. Returning to power in 2009, she governed for 15 years. Bangladesh's economy grew quickly, and huge projects like the Padma Bridge were completed.
Critics accused her of silencing opponents and holding unfair elections. In August 2024, after weeks of student-led protests in which hundreds died, she resigned and fled to India. A Bangladeshi tribunal later sentenced her to death in absentia over the crackdown, a verdict she has rejected as politically motivated.
Career highlights
- 1975Family killed: she survives abroad
- 1981Awami League leader: returns from exile
- 1996Prime minister: first term begins
- 2009Returns to power: start of 15 years in office
- 2022Padma Bridge: landmark bridge opens
- 2024Resigns: flees to India after mass protests
Did you know?She studied at the University of Dhaka and was active in student politics long before leading the country.
