The world’s largest conference on human rights and technology, RightsCon 2026, has been abruptly canceled just days before its scheduled opening in Lusaka, Zambia. The Zambian government cited a lack of alignment with “national values” as the reason for the last-minute decision, despite initially welcoming the event.
More than 2,600 activists, technologists, academics, and policymakers were expected to converge in the capital from May 5-8 to discuss critical issues concerning human rights in the digital age. These topics included online hate, internet shutdowns, artificial intelligence, surveillance, the militarization of technology, and disinformation, particularly at a time when democratic, women’s, and LGBTQ+ rights are reportedly under intense assault.
Thabo Kawana, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information & Media, stated last week that the conference would not proceed to allow time to ensure the gathering “aligns with Zambia’s national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations.”
Rights campaigners have condemned the cancellation as a blatant act of censorship and part of a broader pattern of suppressing legitimate debate. Linda Kasonde, a prominent Zambian lawyer and civil society activist who founded the LCK Freedom Foundation, expressed deep concern over the decision.
“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,” Kasonde remarked. She suggested the move might be linked to the forthcoming general election in August 2026, noting that “the government has steadily been putting in place laws that make it easier to win and entrench power post-election. Political parties and civil society have been denied the opportunity to meet in public.”
Zambian news reports have speculated that pressure from China could be a factor behind the unexpected cancellation. Several Taiwanese delegates were slated to attend the conference, which was to be held in a venue donated by China. RightsCon, now in its 14th year, was hosted in Taipei last year.
Kasonde further lamented the impact on Zambia’s international standing. “This was the first time RightsCon was being held in southern Africa and it was a showcase for our region,” she said. “It is highly unfortunate that it was cancelled at the very last minute for an extremely disingenuous reason, especially as the government had been involved in the planning process, which took over a year. It really dents the image of our country.”
Access Now, the New York-based organization that organizes RightsCon, issued a statement on Friday, revealing that it had spent months liaising with government officials to ensure transparency and mutual understanding. “We see this unilateral decision, and the way it was taken, as evidence of the far reach of transnational repression targeting civil society, and effectively shrinking the spaces in which we operate,” the statement read. “At a time when this sector is already under immense financial and political strain, what we and our community forcefully experienced is unprecedented and existential.”
