Sheikh Hasina once helped rescue Bangladesh from military rule, but her time in power has seen the mass arrest of her political opponents and human rights sanctions against her security forces.
Since July, the autocratic premier has faced mass protests that began as university student-led rallies against civil service job quotas, but which have morphed into some of the worst unrest of her 15-year tenure, with opponents demanding she step down.
The protests were largely peaceful until attacks on demonstrators by police and pro-government student groups, sparking international condemnation.
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