World’s Largest Digital Human Rights Conference Suddenly Canceled

Update 4:30 PM EDT: On a popular listserv for academics, many of whom are attending RightsCon, a board member of Access Now wrote “I am told I can leak that RightsCon has been canceled. Message from [Access Now] following shortly” in a thread about what attendees were planning on doing. And in an email, AccessNow wrote: “It is with heavy hearts that we share: RightsCon will not proceed in Zambia or online. We understand this news is deeply upsetting for our community and while we know everyone has questions, our goal right now is to notify you of the event’s status because many of you have imminent travel plans. We do not recommend registered participants travel to Lusaka for RightsCon.

Over the last 48 hours we have experienced an overwhelming surge of support from civil society, government representatives, sponsors, and our community as a whole. For this, we wholeheartedly thank you. We’ll communicate more information soon.” The original article continues below.

Days before thousands of researchers, academics, and human rights experts were set to convene in Lusaka, Zambia, the government of Zambia announced it was postponing RightsCon, one the largest and most important digital human rights conferences in the world. The announcement, which came as some participants and speakers were already en route to the conference, has sown confusion and chaos in the academic community. 

Minister of Technology and Science Felix Mutati first announced the postponement on April 28, saying that Zambia needed more time to ensure the conference “fully [aligns] with national procedures, diplomatic protocols, and the broader objective of fostering a balanced and consensus-driven platform for dialogue.” 

“In particular, certain invited speakers and participants remain subject to pending administrative and security clearances, which have not yet been concluded,” he added, according to the Lusaka Times.