China's Pressure Forces Cancellation of World's Largest Digital Rights Conference in Zambia

The Chinese government pressured Zambia to cancel RightsCon, the world’s largest digital human rights conference, at the last minute, according to the conference’s organizers.

Beijing was upset that the speaker’s list included prominent figures from Taiwanese civil society. AccessNow, the group that organizes RightsCon, made the announcement on Friday.

On Wednesday, guests and speakers from across the globe arrived in Zambia to attend RightsCon, the largest digital human rights conference in the world. However, Zambian immigration officials turned away early arrivals, stating the conference had been cancelled. The African country’s government posted a vague message on Facebook claiming the conference had been postponed.

By the end of the day, Access Now officially cancelled the conference and instructed participants not to travel to Africa.

RightsCon is a massive event that requires years of planning and hosts thousands of attendees. It demands extensive coordination between Access Now and the host country. Cancelling such a logistically complex event just five days before it begins is highly unusual.

On Friday, Access Now revealed details about the cancellation in a blog post. WIRED had earlier reported on the Chinese pressure.

"On April 27, one day after a government press release endorsed RightsCon, we received a phone call from [Zambia’s Ministry of Technology] 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," the post said. "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,"

Access Now added that scheduled speakers included:

• Jo-Fan Yu, CEO of the Taiwan Network Information Center, a non-profit monitoring Taiwan’s internet infrastructure;
• E-Ling Chiu, Director of Amnesty International Taiwan.

RightsCon was previously held in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2025. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has repeatedly pressured countries and companies globally to avoid acknowledging Taiwan’s independence.

After Zambia contacted Access Now, the Zambian government posted a letter on Facebook and sent it to the rights group via WhatsApp. According to the letter, the postponement was "necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure of critical information relating to key thematic issues proposed for discussion," which would be "essential to ensure full alignment with Zambia’s national values and broader public interest considerations."

"It is simply impossible to postpone an event the size and scale of RightsCon a week before it is set to start," the organization stated. "The summit requires more than a year of planning and preparation to host thousands of people and curate a program of more than 500 sessions."

The language of the public letter was vague, but Access Now confirmed the role of Chinese pressure in the cancellation.