Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the first female speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad. Her tenure in this position began in April 2013 and continued until September 2024. At age 46, she became the youngest person to hold this office.

Early life and education

Chaudhury was born on 6 October 1966 in Chatkhil thana of Noakhali, Bangladesh. Her father, Rafiqullah Chaudhury, served as a Civil Service of Pakistan officer and acted as secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972. Her mother, Naiyar Sultana, worked as a member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission and served as the principal of Dhaka College.

She completed her Secondary School Certificate in 1983 and her Higher Secondary School Certificate in 1985 at Holy Cross Girls' High School and College. To pursue a career in law, she attended the University of Dhaka where she earned an LLB in 1989 and an LLM in 1990. She later traveled to the UK to study at the University of Essex under a Commonwealth scholarship. In 2000, Chaudhury obtained her PhD degree specializing in human rights and constitutional law. The University of Essex also awarded her an honorary PhD on 16 July 2014.

Career

As the International Affairs Secretary of the Awami League, she was elected as an MP from a reserved seat for women on 24 March 2009. She held the position of state minister for the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs until April 2013. On 28 January 2014, she won a by-election for the Rangpur-6 constituency that had been vacated by Sheikh Hasina. The Awami League nominated her for speaker on that same day, and she took her oath for the 10th Parliament on 29 January 2014.

Chaudhury became the first person to serve as speaker across two consecutive tenures. She also held the role of chairperson of the executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association between 2014 and 2017. This position was secured during elections in Yaounde on 9 October 2014, making her the first Bangladeshi to hold such a high-level international post. During her leadership at the CPA, she addressed an audience including Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on 9 March 2015. She also opened the 46th CPA Africa Region Conference in Nairobi between 10 and 13 August 2015.

Her diplomatic work included participating in the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York on 25 September 2015. As speaker, she engaged in bilateral meetings with various officials, including the Indian prime minister and the Chinese president. Before her parliamentary leadership, she practiced as an advocate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. She was a member of the lawyers' panel that conducted cases against Sheikh Hasina during the caretaker government from 2007 to 2008. Her legal expertise covers gender issues, human rights, and constitutional law.

Chaudhury served as the editor of the Bangladesh Legal Decisions law report series from 2003 to 2008. She has also acted as a resource person for the University of Dhaka and BRAC University. On 6 April 2026, she was arrested by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. This arrest followed a period in hiding and relates to a case filed at Lalbagh Police Station regarding violence during the 2024 student-led uprising.

Personal life

Chaudhury is married to Syed Ishtiaque Hossain, who works as a pharmaceutical consultant. The couple has one daughter and one son.

Awards and recognition

She received the Asia Society's Humanitarian Service Award on 9 June 2010. Ambassador Melanne Verveer presented this award at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington DC to recognize her work in empowering women. Additionally, Chaudhury was honored with a Women Leadership Achievement Award at the 2nd World Women Leadership Congress and Award in 2015.