The downfall of the most seemingly adamantine autocrats often unfolds with extraordinary speed. So it has been for Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh. She ruled increasingly tyrannically for the past 15 years — and overall for 20 of the past 28 years. On Monday, however, after weeks of student-led protests — and a crackdown by the security forces that led to hundreds of deaths — she fled her residence in a helicopter. She has for now taken refuge in neighbouring India, a friend of her regime. Back home, protesters were filmed revelling in and pillaging the contents of her home, a salutary reminder to autocrats everywhere of what the future may hold.
看似最堅不可摧的獨裁者往往以驚人的速度垮臺。孟加拉的謝赫•哈西娜(Sheikh Hasina)也是如此。過去15年，她的統治越來越專制——她在過去的28年裏總共統治了20年。然而，經過持續數週的學生領導的抗議活動，以及安全部隊的鎮壓導致數百人死亡後，她在週一乘坐直升機逃離了自己的官邸。目前，她在鄰國兼友邦印度尋求庇護。在國內，抗議者被拍到在她的家中狂歡並掠奪物品，這對世界各地的獨裁者來說是一個有益的提醒，提醒他們未來可能會發生什麼。