Five-time Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s latest term in office came to an abrupt end earlier this week as
As protesters stormed into her official residence in Dhaka, she fled to India.
According to media reports, Hasina has applied for political asylum in the United Kingdom.
Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina has resigned and fled the country after widespread unrest. Source: DPA / Tobias Hase
Hasina isn't the first leader to flee their country and face a future of political exile.
Here’s a look at a few others from recent decades.
Jair Bolsonaro — Brazil
What happened: Incumbent leader Jair Bolsonaro lost the Brazilian presidential election in 2022.
To avoid participating in the inauguration of incoming president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro flew to the United a day before his term was to end — 31 December 2022.
His period of self-imposed exile lasted until March 2023.
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro lived in self-imposed exile following his election loss. Source: Getty / Pedro H. Tesch
Bolsonaro returned to Brazil in March 2023 and said he would contest the 2024 elections, but Brazil’s electoral court barred him from running for public office until 2030 as he faced charges of violating the country’s election laws and abuse of power.
What is he up to now: According to media reports, Bolsonaro is still facing legal troubles at home and can’t travel overseas as his passport has been held by police since his return in 2023.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa – Sri Lanka
What happened: In July 2022, the administration of Sri Lanka's then-president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, faced intense public unrest after a tenure marked by severe economic crisis.
Protesters stormed Rajapaksa’s residence and he fled to the Maldives. After a couple of days there, he landed in Singapore where he remained for a month, before flying out to Thailand, where he stayed for a few weeks.
What is he up to now: A Sri Lankan court found him guilty of economic mismanagement in November 2023 — a verdict that only came with financial penalties.
He remains embroiled in other legal cases.
Ashraf Ghani – Afghanistan
What happened: The meant the end of Ashraf Ghani’s government.
The man who had served as president first fled to Tajikistan, followed by Uzbekistan before finally being accepted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on humanitarian grounds later that month.
The UAE took in Afghanistan's ousted president, Ashraf Ghani. Source: EPA
What is he up to now: Ghani remains in the UAE.
Yingluck Shinawatra – Thailand
What happened: Yingluck Shinawatra was prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014.
She was charged in 2013 with mishandling funds for a government project and found guilty of abuse of power in 2014.
Shinawatara's subsequent exit from the top political position was followed by a military coup and the former leader fled to the UK.
What is she up to now: This year, a Thai court acquitted her of the charges but she continues to live in exile in the UK.
Mykola Azarov – Ukraine
What happened: In 2013, Ukrainians protested against then-president Viktor Yanukovych’s refusal to sign the EU-Ukraine Association agreement for free trade in favour of closer ties with Russia.
As the protests gained momentum, then Ukrainian prime minister Mykola Azarov offered his resignation to Yanukovych.
What is he up to now: Since February 2014, Azarov has been living in exile in Russia where he has formed a political outfit known as the Ukraine Salvation Committee that aims to change Ukraine's current government.
Viktor Yanukovych – Ukraine
What happened: During the aforementioned 2014 protests against Yanukovych, more than 100 demonstrators were killed in clashes with police and security officers.
Most of the deaths occurred after the crowd was fired upon.
As a result, Yanukovych's popularity nosedived, and in February 2014, he was impeached.
He reportedly fled to Russia the same day.
Ousted Ukrainian President Vikor Yanukovych holds a press conference in March 2014. Source: Getty / Sasha Mordovets
Recently, there were reports of him travelling to Belarus as Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine.
Pervez Musharraf – Pakistan
What happened: In August 2008, Pakistan's then-president Pervez Musharraf resigned after reaching a deal with Pakistan's army.
Musharraf had toppled a democratically-elected government headed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999.
In November 2008, he fled to the UK where he undertook speaking and academic assignments until his return to Pakistan in 2013.
Soon after, he was disqualified from contesting elections. He fled to the UAE and lived there in political exile until 2023.
What is he up to now: Musharraf died after a long illness in Dubai in 2023.
Shortly after returning to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in 2013, former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf had a shoe thrown at him as he entered a courtroom to face legal charges. Source: AAP / AP Photo / Shakil Adil)
Nawaz Sharif – Pakistan
What happened: In 1999, when Musharraf overthrew Nawaz Sharif's government, Sharif was jailed for a year and then exiled to Saudi Arabia where he remained till 2007.
He returned to Pakistan in 2007 but couldn’t contest elections till 2013.
He became prime minister for a third time in 2013. In 2016, his government was dismissed on corruption charges, and in 2018, he was sentenced to prison.
In 2019, he was allowed to travel to the UK for medical treatment for a few weeks.
He remained there till October 2023, running his political party from London.
What is he up to now: After he returned home last year, he has been actively involved in his party’s affairs.
His brother, Shehbaz Sharif, is Pakistan's prime minister, while his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, is the chief minister of his home state, Punjab.
Benazir Bhutto – Pakistan
What happened: Benazir Bhutto remained in exile in the UAE for over eight years from 1999, when Musharraf toppled the Sharif government, and she was the leader of the Opposition in the national parliament.
After she returned to Pakistan in 2007 to contest elections, she was assassinated during a campaign rally near the capital city of Islamabad.
With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.
