| Title | Zambia Cancels Global Digital Freedoms Conference Days Before Start | |
| Date | Monday May 04, @02:20PM | |
| Author | hubie | |
| Topic | ||
| from the rug-pull dept. | ||
Rightscon, a world summit on human rights in the digital age, has been canceled at the last minute through actions by its host nation's government:
It is with heavy hearts that we share: RightsCon will not proceed in Zambia or online.
We understand this news is deeply upsetting for our community and while we know everyone has questions, our goal right now is to notify you of the event's status because many of you have imminent travel plans.
We do not recommend registered participants travel to Lusaka for RightsCon.Over the last 48 hours we have experienced an overwhelming surge of support from civil society, government representatives, sponsors, and our community as a whole. For this, we wholeheartedly thank you. We'll communicate more information soon.
And there is secondhand coverage:
The Tor Project is deeply saddened by the last-minute cancellation of RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia, and online. The right to assemble, associate, and speak freely must not be conditioned on political approval. Convenings like RightsCon are essential precisely because they create space for difficult, urgent, and necessary conversation about power, technology, rights, and accountability.
Tor's work is rooted in the belief that everyone should be able to speak freely, safely, and privately. We build tools that help people connect, communicate, organize, and seek information; especially those facing censorship, surveillance, repression, discrimination, and other forms of vulnerability. The disruption of a space dedicated to advancing these shared goals represents a serious gutpunch to the global human rights community.
- — Tor Project Statement on the Abrupt Cancellation of RightsCon 2026 , The Tor Project.
and
Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati first announced the postponement on April 28, saying that Zambia needed more time to ensure the conference "fully [aligns] with national procedures, diplomatic protocols, and the broader objective of fostering a balanced and consensus-driven platform for dialogue."
and
The announcement came as thousands of delegates were en route to Zambia or already there.
On Tuesday, Zambia's Minister of Technology and Science offered the first hint that the conference would be cancelled, telling a Zambian news outlet that participants' security clearances were incomplete and that the government has concerns about the conference's "dialogue."
UPDATED: A message dated 1 May explained the reason for the abrupt cancellation:
Following our April 29 announcement, we at Access Now, the host organization of RightsCon, believe it is important to be transparent about the context that led to the decision. We want to explain, where we can (taking into account the safety of those involved), why this announcement was made on such short notice, only days before we were set to welcome more than 2,600 participants in person, and 1,100 online, representing over 150 countries and 750 institutions.
We believe foreign interference is the reason RightsCon 2026 won't proceed in Zambia or online.
[...] On April 27, one day after a government press release endorsed RightsCon, we received a phone call from MoTS about an urgent issue and were told that diplomats from the People's Republic of China (PRC) were putting pressure on the Government of Zambia because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person. This development was extremely concerning and we immediately pushed back. Next, we opened up lines of communication with our Taiwanese participants, as is our practice when there is a potential risk for a specific community. While we needed more information, we continued to feel confident this was something we could address with the government.
Previously:
(2016) Senator Wyden Calls on Digital Rights Activists to Block Legislative Efforts to Weaken Encryption - SoylentNews
(2016) Adblock Plus Un-Invited From IAB Conference - SoylentNews
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printed from SoylentNews, Zambia Cancels Global Digital Freedoms Conference Days Before Start on 2026-05-17 20:47:45