The CCP keeps telling other countries to censor and repress, and those other countries keep obeying. Latest example: the African country of Zambia.
Conference organizers were hit with a “postponement,” a de facto cancellation, of RightsCon “just days before it was to convene in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, reportedly due to Chinese pressure on the Zambian government” (China Digital Times, May 3, 2026).
“A leading summit on human rights and technology held annually since 2011 in various countries and organized by the advocacy group Access Now, RightsCon had anticipated about 2,600 attendees from more than 750 organizations, including NGOs, human rights organizations, and some of the world’s largest tech companies. Its sudden cancellation heightens concerns about transnational pressure on tech activism, free speech, and digital rights in the Global South and beyond.”
Certainly “and beyond,” since China’s transnational repression seems to extend to almost all corners of the globe.
According to a statement by the RightsCon organizers:
When we select a host location, we follow a rigorous, multi-year process…
Our team first visited the country in 2024 and returned for two additional site visits before arriving on April 27, 2026 for RightsCon. We coordinated closely with Government of Zambia officials every step of the way…
On April 27, one day after a government press release endorsed RightsCon, we received a phone call from MoTS [Ministry of Technology and Science, “our primary government partner”] about an urgent issue and were told that diplomats from the People’s Republic of China were putting pressure on the Government of Zambia because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person….
At 9:33pm Lusaka time, on April 28, a national public holiday, local state-owned media announced that the government had “postponed” RightsCon. Our team was shocked: despite an established partnership and previously open lines of communication, a decision was made by the government without consultation or formal notice. We had no prior knowledge of the publication of the news article, nor any opportunity to comment….
Finally, on April 29, Access Now got a letter from MoTS, “our first official, written communication from the Ministry. 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.’ ”
In short, hooey.
As the organizers indicate in their statement, the whole point of investing months in “building government relationships” and keeping officials up to date about the conference through all the planning was to avoid any such last-minute surprises. “If this foundation was somehow deemed insufficient, we are left to ask: why was that not communicated to us earlier, rather than only five days before our participants were due to arrive?”
I can answer the question. Because the Chinese Communist Party is calling the shots, and the government of Zambia is just doing as told. Also, the Party seems to be a fan of last-minute disruptions.
