Access Now has officially announced that RightsCon 2026 will no longer take place in Zambia. The decision follows a unilateral move by the Zambian government to "postpone" the summit just days before it was set to welcome over 2,600 in-person participants from 150 countries, reports ITREALMS.
According to a detailed statement from the RightsCon and Access Now teams, the crisis began on April 27, 2026, when the Ministry of Technology and Science (MoTS) reportedly informed organizers that diplomats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were exerting pressure on the Government of Zambia. The point of contention was the planned participation of Taiwanese civil society members.
Despite a multi-year planning process and a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zambian government, the situation deteriorated rapidly. By April 28, state-owned media announced a postponement without prior consultation with the organizers.
Access Now revealed that informal conditions for the summit to proceed included the unacceptable demand to moderate specific topics and exclude at-risk communities, specifically Taiwanese participants, from both in-person and online platforms.
For Access Now, these conditions represented a "red line" that compromised the integrity of the movement. The organization characterized the government’s actions as a violation of fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly and association.
They noted that the reach of transnational repression is effectively shrinking the spaces in which civil society operates, creating an "unprecedented and existential" strain on the sector.
The Zambian Ministry of Information and Media (MIM) later reinforced the postponement, claiming a need for "comprehensive disclosure" to ensure alignment with national values.
However, Access Now countered that months had been spent building transparent relationships with government stakeholders, making the last-minute disruption both shocking and unworkable.
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