Zambia cancels global digital freedoms conference days before start

The advocacy organization behind one of the world’s largest digital human rights conferences announced Wednesday that it has canceled an event scheduled to begin May 5 in Lukasa, Zambia due to the country’s government shutting it down over concerns about its digital freedoms theme.

“It is with heavy hearts that we share: RightsCon will not proceed in Zambia or online,” Access Now, which organizes the event, said in its announcement. “We understand this news is deeply upsetting for our community.”

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.”

"Additional time is required to ensure that all preparatory processes fully align with national procedures, diplomatic protocols, and the broader objective of fostering a balanced and consensus-driven platform for dialogue,” Minister Felix Mutati said.

The government only intends to postpone the event, Mutati said, but it is unclear whether the already financially strapped global human rights community or Access Now will be able or willing to travel to a rescheduled conference. RightsCon typically attracts more than 5,000 human rights advocates and academics from over 150 countries. 

Many global human rights organizations have been financially hobbled by the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), making travel to Zambia a difficult undertaking.

Zambian officials expanded on its statement on Wednesday, with the Secretary for Information and Media Thabo Kawana saying in a Facebook post that the cancellation was “necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure of critical information relating to key thematic issues proposed for discussion.”

The freedom of expression advocacy organization ARTICLE 19 issued a press release Thursday saying it is “aware of claims, many of them well-founded, that pressure from foreign governments contributed to the Zambian government’s decision.”

On Thursday, a local news outlet reported that sources said the conference was cancelled because the program ”involves Taiwanese delegates who would potentially speak against China at a venue donated by the Chinese government.” RightsCon was held in Taiwan in 2025.

While Recorded Future News could not independently verify the assertions, there is evidence that the Chinese government financially backs the venue the conference was to be held at.

China provided a $30 million grant for the construction of the Mulungushi International Conference Center, according to a College of William & Mary research lab that tracks China’s foreign investment. 

Zambia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

News of the cancellation was first reported by 404 Media.

The Zambian government has been cracking down on freedom of expression in recent years.

Last year, Zambian lawmakers pushed through legislation that human rights advocates have said limit free speech and open the door to government surveillance.

Freedom House, an organization that ranks countries worldwide based on their human rights records, described Zambia as “partly free” in its latest Freedom of the Net report. The Freedom House index reported that Zambia has jailed critics of the government for online speech.

“This is a serious attack on civil society, the global and local ones,” David Kaye, a former United Nations Special Rapporteur specializing in freedom of expression and opinion, said in a social media post. “Thousands of people — activists, academics, government etc. — are en route to Lusaka. To cancel at this late stage is just horrible.”