A major international human rights conference was abruptly scrapped just days before its scheduled opening after organizers say China influenced the African host nation to ban participants from Taiwan.
The New York-based advocacy organization Access Now announced late Friday it was calling off the RightsCon summit that was set to begin next week in Zambia, following what the Zambian government initially described as a postponement.
According to Access Now, Zambian officials informed them that China had applied pressure regarding the conference “because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person.” The organization said it refused any demands to bar Taiwan delegates from participating.
“We believe foreign interference is the reason RightsCon 2026 won’t proceed in Zambia,” Access Now stated.
“What the government wanted from us in order to lift the postponement was conveyed to us informally from multiple sources: … we would have to moderate specific topics and exclude communities at risk, including our Taiwanese participants, from in-person and online participation.”
Zambian authorities had earlier stated they were delaying the conference to review information about discussion themes and topics to verify they matched the nation’s “national values, policy priorities and broader public interest considerations.”
The southern African nation maintains substantial political and economic connections with China, primarily through Chinese mining operations in the resource-rich country.
The annual RightsCon gathering focuses on human rights and technology issues, addressing topics such as internet censorship, digital surveillance and cyber warfare. More than 2,600 people were expected to participate in person in Zambia, with an additional 1,100 joining virtually, representing over 150 nations, Access Now reported.
The previous year’s conference took place in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-jing posted on Facebook Saturday that the summit’s cancellation demonstrated China’s discomfort with “the ideas of freedom, democracy and rule of law that Taiwan and RightsCon represent.”
Human Rights Watch called on Zambian officials to provide explanations for their decisions.
This development occurred just one week after Taiwan accused Beijing of interfering to prevent Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te from visiting Eswatini, another southern African nation, on April 22.
Taiwan claimed that Lai’s trip to Eswatini, Africa’s sole country maintaining official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, was cancelled after China pressured Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles to deny overflight permissions for the president’s aircraft.
China’s Foreign Ministry commended the three nations’ actions, stating their “adherence to the one-China principle is in full compliance with international law.”
Beijing considers self-governing Taiwan as a rebellious territory that must be reunified with mainland China, using military force if needed, and prevents nations with which it has diplomatic relationships from maintaining official connections with Taipei. China wields considerable influence throughout Africa.
On Saturday, President Lai surprised observers by announcing his arrival in Eswatini after the original visit was cancelled. This time, Lai had not publicly disclosed his travel plans beforehand.
Taiwan “will never be deterred by external pressures,” Lai posted on X.
