A team of Bangladeshi journalists working with Agence France-Presse (AFP) has been honoured with an Honourable Mention at the prestigious SOPA 2025 Awards for Editorial Excellence for their breaking news coverage of the political upheaval widely described as the “Bangladesh revolution.”
The award was presented in the “Reporting Breaking News – Global/Regional” category and was conferred to AFP for its exemplary coverage of the turbulent political developments that gripped Bangladesh over the past year. The story, filed under the headline “Bangladesh revolution”, chronicled the collapse of the previous political order and the emergence of a military-backed interim government under Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
Although the accolade was officially awarded to AFP as an organization, the citation explicitly acknowledged the key members of the Bangladesh bureau whose fieldwork, reporting, and visuals formed the heart of the award-winning entry. Those named include Shafiqul Alam, Munir Uz Zaman, Parvez Ahmad Rony, Abu Sufian Jewel, K M Asad, Noah Seelam, and Mohammad Moneed.
The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), which hosts the awards, is one of the region’s most respected institutions recognizing editorial excellence in journalism. The annual SOPA Awards are widely regarded as the Asian equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.
Coverage Amid Political Chaos
The award-winning coverage spanned months of political turmoil beginning in mid-2024, including widespread opposition protests, a disputed electoral process, escalating street violence, and a dramatic military-backed intervention that brought an end to the Hasina administration’s 15-year rule.
The AFP team documented the unfolding events with remarkable immediacy and clarity, publishing live reports, in-depth dispatches, and powerful images from protest grounds, press briefings, and high-security zones across Dhaka and beyond.
“From tense standoffs between protesters and riot police to exclusive insights into the sudden rise of a civilian-military caretaker authority, the AFP team’s coverage consistently provided global audiences with accurate, balanced, and up-to-the-minute information,” said a SOPA jury member during the award presentation in Hong Kong.
Recognition for Local Journalists
For many in Bangladesh’s journalism community, the honourable mention represents more than international recognition—it marks a rare moment of acknowledgment for local journalists who often operate under significant constraints.
“This recognition is not just a validation of our work, but a tribute to the risks and challenges Bangladeshi journalists face every day,” said Shafiqul Alam, AFP’s Dhaka Bureau Chief, who coordinated much of the coverage from the ground. “It is especially meaningful at a time when the space for free press in our region continues to shrink.”
Photographer Munir Uz Zaman, whose haunting image of an opposition supporter collapsing amid tear gas in Shahbagh went viral, also expressed pride in the team’s work. “It was dangerous, sometimes even terrifying, but we knew the world needed to see what was happening here.”
Team member Parvez Ahmad Rony, known for his live updates during the siege on the Election Commission building last December, noted that the recognition shows “how essential it is to have local eyes and ears when history is being made.”
The AFP report, as cited by SOPA, stood out for its “rigorous on-the-ground reporting, contextual depth, and ability to break complex political developments into globally understandable narratives.”
A Broader Message
The SOPA jury’s decision to honour AFP’s Bangladesh coverage also reflects the international media’s renewed attention on South Asia’s volatile democratic landscape.
“This award comes at a moment when international media houses are re-evaluating their regional strategies,” said Meherun Nahar, a senior media analyst and former editor of South Asia Monitor. “The fall of an entrenched ruling party and the rise of an unelected transitional authority in a country of 170 million was not just a national story—it was geopolitically seismic. AFP’s team captured that moment with rare clarity.”
Looking Forward
This year’s SOPA Awards also saw recognition for coverage of Myanmar’s civil war, climate disasters in Southeast Asia, and press freedom crackdowns in Hong Kong. AFP’s Bangladesh team joins a growing list of regional journalists whose work is being recognized despite authoritarian pushback and digital surveillance.
As the interim government in Dhaka prepares for a possible general election in early 2026, political uncertainty continues to loom large. The journalists who covered the first phase of this transformation now face a new challenge: chronicling the future of an evolving Bangladesh under intense international scrutiny.
For the AFP Bangladesh team, the honourable mention is both a milestone and a reminder. “We didn’t do this for awards,” said Shafiqul Alam. “We did it because the truth needed telling.”
