Taipei: Taiwan’s government on Sunday condemned China following the abrupt cancellation of an annual digital rights conference in Zambia, which was called off due to pressure from Beijing over the participation of Taiwanese representatives.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Executive Yuan’s Department of Human Rights and Transitional Justice criticized China’s attempts to suppress participation in RightsCon 2026, labeling it as another effort to isolate Taiwan on the global stage. The department stated that Beijing aims to force the international community to overlook Taiwan’s democratic system and pressures human rights activists worldwide to ignore surveillance and oppression by authoritarian regimes.
The cancellation resulted in a lost opportunity for Taiwan’s civil society to engage with the international community on digital human rights matters. The incident highlighted the necessity for Taiwan to collaborate more closely with global civil society organizations to reinforce digital and democratic resilience, as well as to uphold the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights in digital development.
The 14th edition of RightsCon was slated to occur in Lusaka, Zambia, from May 5 to 8. However, Access Now, the organizing body, announced on May 1 that the event was canceled after Chinese officials exerted pressure on the Zambian government regarding the attendance of Taiwanese civil society members.
Access Now released a statement condemning the infringement on fundamental freedoms, such as peaceful assembly and association, and the interference with the freedom of expression within the RightsCon community. The organization emphasized its commitment to reconvene despite the setback in Zambia.