Shadows of Silence: The Psychological Aftermath of State initiated Violence

Dhaka, 19 April 2025 — The International institute of law and Diplomacy (IILD) is hosting a high-level roundtable discussion titled “Post July 2024 Uprising in Bangladesh: Addressing the Mental Health Crisis” at Dhaka University on Saturday, 19 April 2025.

The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Anis Ahmed, a UK-based Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Executive Member of the Faculty of Forensic Psychiatry, and Member of the Special Committee on Human Rights at the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych). Dr. Ahmed also leads the Volunteering and International Psychiatry Special Interest Group (VIPSIG) and serves as President of the British Bangladeshi Psychiatric Association (BBPA).

His keynote speech will explore the severe and long-term psychological impact of enforced disappearances as well as state initiated violence on survivors and their families in the aftermath of the July uprising. Drawing from international evidence from authoritarian regimes across the globe, Dr. Ahmed will focus on often-overlooked conditions such as ambiguous loss, prolonged grief, moral injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and stigma. He will also highlight the glaring research gap in documenting and responding to such mental health crises in post-conflict settings.