A slow degradation of rights—of freedom of expression and the right to assemble.
Days before thousands of activists, technologists, and policymakers were to gather in Lusaka for RightsCon 2026, Zambia's government withdrew its welcome, invoking 'national values' to silence a conversation the world's most vulnerable communities had traveled far to join. The cancellation arrives at the intersection of geopolitical pressure, pre-election consolidation, and a continent-wide narrowing of civic space. In shutting down a conference devoted to protecting rights in the digital age, the Zambian state demonstrated precisely the dynamic the conference was convened to resist. What is lost is not only a gathering, but the rare solidarity it offered to those who have no other stage.
- Zambia revoked permission for RightsCon 2026 just days before 2,600 delegates were due to arrive, citing alignment with 'national values' — a phrase that offered explanation while revealing nothing.
- Suspected pressure from China over Taiwanese delegates and the government's own pre-election anxiety appear to be the real forces behind the abrupt reversal, exposing how geopolitics and domestic power consolidation can quietly erase civic commitments.
- Delegates from across Africa and the world absorbed immediate financial losses in flights and accommodation, but advocates say the deeper wound is the erasure of one of the few global platforms where marginalized communities — LGBTQ+ people, sex workers, reproductive health advocates — could speak and be heard.
- Rights organizations and civil society leaders are naming the cancellation as transnational repression and warning that normalizing the shutdown of human rights conferences creates a precedent that will progressively silence those with the least power.
- Access Now and Zambian civil society are pushing back publicly, but with August 2026 elections approaching and civic gatherings already being systematically denied, the trajectory points toward further contraction rather than repair.
The Zambian government cancelled RightsCon 2026 — the world's largest human rights and technology conference — just days before it was due to open in Lusaka on May 5th. More than 2,600 activists, technologists, academics, and policymakers had been expected to attend the four-day summit, which would have been the first time the now 14-year-old conference was held in southern Africa. The government's permanent secretary for Information and Media cited the need to review whether the event aligned with Zambia's 'national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations.' The reversal was particularly striking because Zambia had originally welcomed the summit and had been involved in planning it for over a year.
Local observers pointed to two likely explanations. Zambian news outlets suggested that Chinese pressure may have been a factor — several Taiwanese delegates had registered, and the conference venue had been donated by China. But civil society leaders focused on a domestic explanation: the August 2026 general election. Prominent lawyer Linda Kasonde described a systematic pattern of the government denying public gatherings to political parties and civil society organizations in the lead-up to the polls. 'What we are seeing is a slow degradation of rights — of freedom of expression and the right to assemble,' she said.
The human cost was immediate. Delegates had already committed significant money and time to travel arrangements. Karna Kone, a reproductive health advocate from Côte d'Ivoire who had spent months securing his visa, described the loss in both financial and human terms — RightsCon had been one of the few global spaces where communities facing harassment and threats for their advocacy could find connection and strategy. The conference had devoted substantial programming to how technology is used to restrict accounts related to sexual and reproductive health rights, a subject that clearly unsettled some governments.
Access Now, which organizes RightsCon, called the cancellation 'unprecedented and existential' for a human rights technology sector already under severe strain. Nigerian technologist Chioma Agwuegbo framed it as part of a broader continental pattern of weaponizing compliance mechanisms to restrict dialogue and dissent. South African human rights lawyer Sibongile Ndashe warned that if cancelling conferences becomes normalized, it is human rights groups — and the communities they serve — who will progressively lose the ability to convene at all. Kasonde added that the last-minute reversal, after the government's own year-long involvement in planning, sent a damaging message about Zambia's commitment to open democratic participation.
The Zambian government cancelled the world's largest human rights and technology conference just days before it was scheduled to begin, citing a need to ensure the gathering aligned with the country's "national values." RightsCon 2026 was set to open in Lusaka on May 5th, drawing more than 2,600 activists, technologists, academics, and policymakers from across the globe. The announcement came last week from Thabo Kawana, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information and Media, who said the government needed time to review whether the conference met Zambia's "national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations." The irony was sharp: Zambia's government had originally welcomed the summit and had been involved in planning it for over a year.
The conference was designed to tackle some of the most pressing questions facing digital societies today—online hate speech, internet shutdowns, artificial intelligence governance, mass surveillance, and the weaponization of technology against vulnerable populations. It was also meant to be a landmark moment for the region. This was the first time RightsCon, now in its 14th year, would be held in southern Africa, and organizers had positioned it as a showcase for the continent's civil society and technological innovation.
Why the sudden reversal? Zambian news outlets suggested pressure from China may have played a role. Several Taiwanese delegates had registered to attend, and the conference venue itself had been donated by China. The timing raised questions about geopolitical tensions bleeding into domestic governance. But local activists pointed to another explanation: the August 2026 general election. Linda Kasonde, a prominent Zambian lawyer and founder of the LCK Freedom Foundation, described a pattern of government actions designed to consolidate power before the polls. "When the current administration came into power, they were a government of rule of law and democracy," she said. "What we are seeing is a slow degradation of rights—of freedom of expression and the right to assemble." She noted that political parties and civil society organizations had been systematically denied permission to hold public gatherings in the run-up to the election.
Access Now, the New York-based organization that runs RightsCon, issued a statement characterizing the cancellation as evidence of "transnational repression targeting civil society" and described the decision as "unprecedented and existential" for the human rights technology sector, already under severe financial and political strain. The organization had spent months in dialogue with Zambian officials to ensure transparency and mutual understanding. The unilateral reversal, they said, demonstrated how quickly those assurances could evaporate.
The human cost was immediate and concrete. Delegates from across Africa and beyond had already booked flights and accommodation. Karna Kone, a reproductive health advocate from Côte d'Ivoire who was scheduled to speak on a panel about digital censorship, had spent months securing his visa. "Travelling from west Africa is very expensive and a lot of logistical work," he said. "It's a loss in terms of money and of energy." But the financial hit was secondary to what he and others had lost: a rare global platform. Kone's organization works with communities facing online harassment and physical threats because of their advocacy for access to safe abortion. RightsCon was one of the few spaces where such marginalized voices could connect, share strategies, and find solidarity.
Chioma Agwuegbo, director of TechHer, a Nigerian organization mentoring girls in technology, described the cancellation as part of a troubling continental pattern. "At a time when civic space across the continent is increasingly shrinking, this incident reflects a troubling pattern where compliance mechanisms are weaponised to restrict convening, dialogue and dissent," she said. Martha Dimitratou, director of Repro Uncensored, noted the particular irony: a conference dedicated to protecting rights and participation in digital spaces was itself being shut down. A significant portion of the conference programming had been devoted to how tech companies restrict or remove accounts related to sexual and reproductive health rights—a topic that clearly made some governments uncomfortable.
Sibongile Ndashe, a South African human rights lawyer, warned that normalizing the cancellation of conferences sets a dangerous precedent. "If cancellation of conferences becomes normalised, it is human rights groups that will progressively find it hard to convene," she said. "Restrictions on human rights harm those without power." Kasonde echoed the damage to Zambia itself. "It really dents the image of our country," she said, noting that the cancellation at the last minute, after the government's own year-long involvement in planning, sent a message about the reliability of the state's commitments to open dialogue and democratic participation.
Citações Notáveis
When the current administration came into power, they were a government of rule of law and democracy. What we are seeing is a slow degradation of rights—of freedom of expression and the right to assemble.— Linda Kasonde, Zambian lawyer and civil society activist
If cancellation of conferences becomes normalised, it is human rights groups that will progressively find it hard to convene. Restrictions on human rights harm those without power.— Sibongile Ndashe, South African human rights lawyer
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would a government that originally welcomed this conference suddenly cancel it days before it starts?
The official reason—ensuring it aligns with national values—is vague enough to mean almost anything. But the timing and context tell a different story. There's an election in August, and the government appears to be systematically restricting spaces where civil society can gather and organize.
So this isn't really about the conference content itself?
Not primarily. The conference was about digital rights, surveillance, AI—legitimate topics. But what seems to have triggered the reversal is the presence of Taiwanese delegates and the geopolitical pressure that came with it. That became the pretext for a broader move to control public space.
What did the delegates lose by not being able to attend?
More than money, though that mattered—people had spent months arranging visas and flights from across Africa. They lost access to a global community. For organizations working on reproductive health rights or LGBTQ+ issues in countries where those topics are dangerous, RightsCon was one of the few places they could speak openly and find allies.
Is this unique to Zambia?
No. Activists across Africa describe the same pattern—shrinking civic space, restrictions on assembly, governments using bureaucratic tools to silence dissent. What makes Zambia notable is that it happened so publicly, so close to the event, after the government had been planning it for a year.
What happens to RightsCon now?
The conference is cancelled. The 2,600 people who were coming won't gather. The conversations that were supposed to happen—about how to protect vulnerable communities online—will happen elsewhere, or not at all. And other organizations considering hosting similar events will think twice.
Does this change anything about how the world sees Zambia?
It reinforces a narrative about democratic backsliding. Zambia's government came to power promising rule of law and democracy. What's visible now is a pattern of consolidating power before an election, and this cancellation is part of that pattern.