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Today in Focus

How Bangladesh’s longest-serving leader was toppled by student protests

Today in Focus

The Guardian

Daily News, News

4.65.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2024

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sheikh Hasina was a historic figure in her country. But now she has fled after protests turned violent. How did it all go wrong? David Bergman reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the Guardian. students overthrew Bangladesh's longest serving leader. Hello fans of podcasts, my name's Max and I host the Guardian Football Weekly alongside me is

0:27.3

Barry Glen Denny.

0:28.3

Hello Barry.

0:29.3

Hi Max!

0:30.3

The Premier League is back. Barry, you can hear us providing incredibly astute analysis three times a week.

0:34.0

Wherever you get your podcasts, Barry, with the remaining eight seconds of this advert,

0:38.0

could you provide me with some incredibly astute analysis?

0:41.0

I think Liverpool are going to win the Premier League.

0:43.0

There you are for more hot takes like that.

0:45.0

Please listen to the Guardian Football Weekly wherever you get your podcasts. For as long as Bangladesh has existed, Sheikhasina, her family and their party, the Awami League, have been in or near the seat of power.

1:09.0

I am for the emancipation of my people. I am led to sacrifice everything for the cause.

1:14.6

Her father was the country's founding father and after he was killed she took up

1:20.6

his mantle and served two terms in office.

1:23.8

Well, my father is no more, but I try to serve people the way he wanted to serve.

1:31.6

I care for my people the way he used to care.

1:35.0

She was once a popular leader who over the decades turned increasingly authoritarian.

1:41.0

No one imagined she would step down, even as this summer

1:45.9

what started as peaceful student demonstrations against a quota system for

1:51.9

government jobs turned violent.

1:55.0

And over 400 people were killed.

2:00.0

What did I think? What I felt about her casino if you asked me I felt so much angry I felt so much angry I felt so much anger in my heart and I knew that she is watching the people of her

2:17.9

country getting killed the children getting killed the journalists getting killed the policemen getting killed, the journalists getting killed, the policemen getting killed, and she is not doing anything.

...

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