Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, rose to prominence in the 1980s as a leading pro-democracy figure opposing military rule. First elected in 1996, she returned to power in 2009 and has since faced mounting criticism over alleged human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and suppression of dissent. Once celebrated for her democratic ideals, Hasina’s leadership has increasingly been described as authoritarian by opponents and rights groups. She has denied ordering security forces to open fire during anti-government protests, calling the incidents tragic but unintended. The daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding leader who was assassinated in 1975, Hasina has survived multiple assassination attempts and periods of imprisonment. However, recent developments and legal challenges have cast uncertainty over her political future and potential return to the country’s leadership.