Awards
AFP Honoured at SOPA Awards for Coverage of Afghan and Rohingya Refugees
AFP received two Honourable Mentions at the prestigious Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards for its reporting on the mass exodus of Afghans from Pakistan and the arrival of desperate Rohingya refugees in Indonesia.
AFP teams from Pakistan and Afghanistan were recognised in the Excellence in Breaking News category. Together, the Islamabad and Kabul bureaus mobilised more than 20 reporters, photographers and video journalists in the build-up to the Pakistan government’s deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave the country. On the day of the deadline, AFP had teams on both sides of the northern border to witness the migration of tens of thousands of people in one day.
“Harrowing stories of ordinary people at the mercy of government policy shifts in a dangerous region,” the judges commented on AFP’s coverage. “This series required impressive commitment and courage to highlight a neglected story.”
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Chaideer Mahyuddin and Amanda Jufrian from AFP's Indonesia bureau also received an Honourable Mention in the Excellence in Photography category. In November 2023, hundreds of Rohingya women, children, and men began arriving on the beaches of Aceh province. These individuals had endured starvation and illness on unsafe boats, hoping to find safety.
The AFP team captured images of refugees arriving from overcrowded boats, young men pleading for refuge, and exhausted children on the sand. Their work highlighted the tough choices faced by the Rohingya community, years after fleeing violence in Myanmar. Many ended up in Bangladesh's large refugee camps, which are plagued by crime, pushing thousands to risk dangerous sea journeys for a better life in Malaysia, Indonesia, and other parts of Southeast Asia.
The judges referred to the photo series as “exceptional, with the composition of elements and the tension created in the gazes, silhouettes, and depth of each image making a strong impact, providing intense meaning and context... The images reflect urgency, despair, a glimmer of hope, and overwhelming reality.”
AFP is dedicated to reporting on humanitarian crises, highlighting the struggles of displaced and vulnerable people around the world. By mobilising teams to challenging environments, AFP aims to bring attention to these important stories.
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