We, the Net Rights Coalition (NRC), a network of digital rights actors, and all other signatories listed below, are appalled by the Government of Zambia’s unilateral announcement of the postponement of RightsCon on 29 April 2026, a move that has resulted in the cancellation of the global event with over 5000 participants that was going to be hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/51546066

A coalition of over 130 civil society organisations and digital rights actors has condemned the Government of Zambia for the cancellation of RightsCon 2026, which was scheduled to take place in Lusaka and online.

In a joint statement, the groups said the government’s late announcement disrupted preparations for the event, which was expected to bring together thousands of participants from across the digital policy, human rights, and technology sectors.

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According to information publicly shared by Access Now, the decision appears to have been influenced by external pressure, including from authorities of the Peoples Republic of China on the Government of Zambia over the planned participation of Taiwanese civil rights representatives, and the exclusion of topics that appeared to be inconvenient for China.

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