China pressured Zambia to cancel RightsCon, the world's largest digital human rights conference, five days before it began because Taiwanese civil society figures were scheduled to speak. After Chinese diplomats contacted Zambian officials, the government demanded content moderation and exclusion of Taiwanese participants. AccessNow, the conference organizer, refused the conditions and canceled the event.
Strategy
China Pressure Canceled World’s Largest Digital Human Rights Conference
China deployed diplomatic pressure on Zambia to cancel RightsCon, the world's largest digital human rights conference, suppressing global free-speech discourse by blocking Taiwanese civil society participation just days before launch.
Friday, May 1, 2026 12:00 PM UTC2 MIN READSOURCE: 404 MediaBY sys://pipeline
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