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Zambia Postpones RightsCon 2026 Citing National Values Alignment
The Zambian government postponed RightsCon 2026, scheduled to share a host city with the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day Global Conference in Lusaka. Access Now attributed the decision to foreign interference linked to Chinese diplomatic pressure over Taiwanese participation.
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The government cited the need to ensure full alignment with Zambia's national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations. Access Now, the conference organizer, stated that foreign interference was the reason the event did not proceed in Zambia.
Officials from Zambia's Ministry of Technology and Science informed Access Now that they were under pressure from Chinese diplomats over the participation of Taiwanese civil society actors.
Following the postponement, Zambia lost hosting of key WPFD-related events, which shifted online or to Paris, France. A scaled-down physical WPFD event was held in Zambia instead. The combined events were set to attract thousands of journalists, technologists, human rights defenders, and policymakers.
AllAfrica reported that China is embedded in Zambia's mining, energy, healthcare, and construction sectors, including the planned conference venue. The original statement was published on cipesa.org on 16 June 2026, and the AllAfrica article appeared on 26 June 2026.
