She was once cast as a secular heroine, the daughter of a revolutionary leader, whose brutal assassination in the 1970s defined her meteoric political ascent.

The sentence to death against Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for crimes against humanity is seen as a chance for national healing after the violent uprising last year that killed hundreds and ended her 15-year rule.

Up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands were injured, mostly by security forces’ gunfire, in the uprising last year, according to a U.N. report.

Bangladesh’s capital and major cities are calm despite a call for a nationwide shutdown by supporters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Classes in schools and colleges have been disrupted and transportation has been halted across Bangladesh as the former ruling Awami League party headed by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calls for

Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile in India, was convicted in absentia of crimes against humanity in connection with a bloody crackdown on protests last year.

Classes in schools and colleges have been disrupted and transportation has been halted across Bangladesh as the former ruling Awami League party headed by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina calls for