Human Rights Watch
Zambia: Summit on Human Rights, Technology Effectively Canceled
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Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema speaks at a high-level meeting in Angola, December 4, 2024.
© 2024 Ben Curtis/AP Photo
(Johannesburg) – The Zambian government’s decision to postpone RightsCon 2026, effectively canceling the summit, raises concerns about the authorities’ commitment to free expression and assembly and about possible Chinese government interference, Human Rights Watch said today. The 14th edition of RightsCon was scheduled to be held in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, from May 5 to 8, 2026.In an April 29 statement, the Zambian government said that the postponement was “necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure […] relating to key thematic issues proposed for discussion during the Summit.” The technology and science minister had earlier said that the postponement was to allow for “pending administrative and security clearances” of some speakers. As a result, the RightsCon organizers, Access Now, announced on April 29 that “we do not recommend registered participants travel to Lusaka for RightsCon.”“The Zambia government’s flimsy reasons for postponing RightsCon suggest that the government wanted to control the summit’s human rights agenda,” said Idriss Ali Nassah, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should fully explain the last-minute cancellation, which is a serious loss for the promotion of human rights.”Civil society groups have criticized the action. A statement by the Net Rights Coalition and more than 130 digital rights stakeholders said that the postponement and effective cancellation of the event raises concerns about closing the civic space in Zambia.RightsCon is a leading summit on human rights and technology, where discussions center on building strategies toward a more free, open, and connected digital world. Human Rights Watch staff members were planning to speak at several sessions, including on protecting core internet functions in situations of conflict, the export of surveillance technology, corporate accountability, and the ethics of using technology in human rights research.“By shutting down RightsCon, the Zambian government is shutting down discussions and opportunities to strategize and connect on some of the most crucial human rights issues of our time,” said Deborah Brown, technology and rights deputy director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s a terrible blow to the digital rights movement in Zambia and globally.”In 2023, over 300 participants, predominantly from the Global South, who applied for visa-on-arrival, were denied entry and excluded from participating in the RightsCon event in Costa Rica. In 2024, the United Nations Internet Governance Forum was hosted by Saudi Arabia, which discouraged meaningful civil society participation due to fears of surveillance, harassment, and reprisals, and resulted in censorship of human rights discussions.A leading Zambian academic, Sishuwa Sishuwa, told Human Rights Watch that Zambian authorities may have been worried that delegates to the summit, mostly human rights activists, “would have put the country under scrutiny” for its human rights record. He said that “Zambia has seen severe restrictions on the rights to peaceful assembly, free speech, and freedom of association, the arrests of government critics and political opponents on a variety of charges such as criminal libel, sedition, unlawful assembly, and the broadly expanded laws on hate speech. These themes would have been discussed at the summit, weeks before the start of the official campaign for the August general election.”In April 2025, the Zambian Parliament enacted the Cyber Security Act and the Cyber Crimes Act. Zambian civil society organizations contended that some provisions of the laws did not adhere to international human rights standards and were a threat to the principles of democracy, transparency, accountability, and rights. The two laws have been used to curtail freedom of expression online and to arrest political opponents.The Law Association of Zambia petitioned the High Court to declare provisions of the Cyber Crimes Act unconstitutional. The matter is pending in court.On March 3, the Ministry of Technology and Science had welcomed the hosting of RightsCon 2026 when it met with the organizers and emphasized that the summit was consistent with Zambia’s national development agenda. It also reaffirmed the Zambian government’s commitment to collaborate with the organizers to ensure the successful hosting of the summit. According to some expected participants, the ministry had issued them official letters in February to support granting them visas to attend the conference.A civil society activist involved in the RightsCon organizing committee in Lusaka told Human Rights Watch that the postponement came after the Chinese government had expressed displeasure to Zambian authorities about invited participants from Taiwan. A Zambian media outlet similarly reported that Zambian authorities were uncomfortable with the participation of “Taiwanese delegates who would potentially speak against China at a venue donated by the Chinese government.”The Mulungushi Conference Center, which was to host the summit, was refurbished in 2020 with funding from the Chinese government at a reported cost of US$60 million. Zambian authorities at the time described the support as a “gift from […] China” with “no strings attached.” Human Rights Watch could not independently verify that China had a role in the government’s decision. Human Rights Watch requested comment from the Zambian government and the Chinese Embassy in Lusaka but did not receive an immediate response.China is a major investor in Zambia, particularly in the mining sector, and Zambia is also part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Human Rights Watch has long documented abusive health, safety, and labor conditions associated with Chinese mining interests, some of which pose harm to residents. Despite repeated public concerns and calls for accountability, the Zambian government has for years shown little willingness to effectively regulate these operations.The cancellation of RightsCon underscores the need for such events to be hosted in countries where the government openly embraces debate on human rights and supports fundamental freedoms, Human Rights Watch said.“The human rights environment in Zambia has become increasingly hostile to perceived dissent, criticism, and political opposition to the government ahead of the 2026 elections,” Nassah said. “Zambian authorities should take all necessary steps to ensure that it allows for the free exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly and allows for civil society to meet in an environment free of government interference.”
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