Zambia has cancelled the RightsCon 2026 summit on human rights and technology just days before it was set to begin, citing misalignment with national values. The event was expected to attract over 2,600 participants to discuss critical issues related to digital rights.
Key points
Zambia cancelled the RightsCon 2026 summit days before it was set to start
The government cited misalignment with national values
Over 2,600 participants were expected to discuss digital human rights
The summit was scheduled for May 5-8 in Lusaka
The cancellation is viewed as damaging to Zambia's image
The world’s largest conference on human rights and technology has been cancelled just days before it was due to start after the Zambian government told organisers it did not align with “national values”.
Zambia’s government had originally welcomed the RightsCon 2026 summit on “human rights in the digital age”, due to be held in the capital, Lusaka, on 5-8 May, but Thabo Kawana, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Information & Media, said last week that the conference would not go ahead to allow time to ensure the gathering “aligns with Zambia’s national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations”.
More than 2,600 activists, technologists, academics and policymakers were expected to begin arriving in Lusaka over the weekend. The event was to address issues of human rights in the digital age, including online hate, internet shutdowns, AI, surveillance, the militarisation of tech and disinformation at a time when democratic, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights are under intense assault.
A middle-aged African woman in a suit standing before a law library bookcase
The cancellation ‘dents the image of our country’, said Linda Kasonde, a Zambian lawyer
Rights campaigners have called the decision a blatant act of censorship and part of a broader pattern of suppression of legitimate debate.
Linda Kasonde, a prominent Zambian lawyer and civil society activistwho founded the LCK Freedom Foundation, said the decision showed a disregard for human rights. “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.”
Q&A
Why did Zambia cancel the RightsCon 2026 summit?
Zambia's government cancelled the summit because it did not align with the country's national values and policy priorities.
What was the focus of the RightsCon 2026 summit in Lusaka?
The summit aimed to address human rights issues in the digital age, including online hate, AI, surveillance, and disinformation.
How many participants were expected at the RightsCon 2026 summit?
More than 2,600 activists, technologists, academics, and policymakers were expected to attend the summit.
What impact does the cancellation of the summit have on Zambia's image?
The cancellation is seen as damaging to Zambia's international image, according to local lawyer Linda Kasonde.
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Kasonde suggested the move was linked to the forthcoming general election. “We go to the polls in August 2026,” she said “In the run-up, 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.”
It was a blow for Zambia’s reputation, she added. “This was the first time RightsCon was being held in southern Africa and it was a showcase for our region.
A group of women talking in a large public building before a sign saying RightsCon 25 Taipei
Last year’s RightsCon summit in Taipei, which was opened by Taiwan’s vice-president. It was to be held this year in a venue donated by China. Photograph: Wang Yu Ching/Office of the President
“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,” she said. “It really dents the image of our country.”
In a statement issued on Friday RightsCon organiser, the New York-based organisation Access Now, said it had spent months liaising with government relationships to ensure transparency and mutual understanding around the conference. “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. 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,” it said.
Most delegates had already booked and paid for their travel. Karna Kone, from Côte d’Ivoire, who was due to join a panel on digital censorship, had spent months organising his visa to Zambia. “Travelling from west Africa is very expensive and a lot of logistical work. It’s a loss in terms of money and of energy.”
It was also a loss of opportunity, added Kone, who works for the ODAS Centre, a coalition of reproductive health organisations.
“Security was the reason we were going. Our members face online harassment and physical threats because of their focus on [strengthening access to] safe abortion. RightsCon was one of very few global spaces we could connect and share our work. This was a chance to give voice to Francophone Africa. Now this conversation has been silenced.”
Chioma Agwuegbo, director of TechHer, a Nigerian organisation mentoring girls in technology, was also due to speak and said RightsCon was a rare opportunity for organisations to come up with solutions to pressing challenges.
A middle-aged African woman in a dark shirt
‘These constraints silence voices,’ said Chioma Agwuegbo, head of Nigeria’s TechHer
“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.
“These constraints silence voices and weaken ecosystems working to protect fundamental human rights, including the safety and dignity of women and girls online.”
A significant number of speakers were lined up to address issues around the online censorship of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR).
Luca Stevenson, of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said RightsCon was a “critical” space for communities already pushed to the margins, “including sex workers, LGBTQIA+ people, and those seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare”.
Sibongile Ndashe, a South African lawyer and human rights activist who founded the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa, said the Zambian government’s move set 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.”
