ASF France Wants Open, Secure Internet In Africa

A civil society group, Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASF) France has called for open, secure and rights-respecting internet across Africa.

It condemned the abrupt cancellation of the RightsCon 2026 in Lusaka by the Zambian government scheduled to commence May 5, 2026.

The ASF France in a statement said the cancellation of the conference denied more than 2,600 in-person and 1,100 online participants from over 150 countries participation in the conference.

According to ASF France, the cancellation constituted a serious violation of fundamental rights protected under international law, noting that the right to freedom of assembly and association, is guaranteed by Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The group said the decision set a dangerous precedent whereby foreign interference can

dictate which civil society gatherings may take place on African soil, adding that it undermined Zambia’s sovereignty and civic space across the region.

According to ASF France, “RightsCon 2026 was to be the first-ever RightsCon hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa” noting that “Zambia had the opportunity to position itself as a regional leader in digital innovation, human rights, and open governance, convening governments, courts, law enforcement, tech companies, and civil society to shape the continent’s digital future”.

ASF regretted that the cancellation represented a loss of African leadership, significant economic harm to Lusaka’s hotels, airlines, vendors, and SMEs, and reputational damage that contradicts Zambia’s commitments under the African Charter.

According to them, the convening organization, has since confirmed that the cancellation followed diplomatic pressure from the People’s Republic of China related to the planned participation of Taiwanese civil society.

The group announced full solidarity with Access Now, the RightsCon team, and the thousands of participants, speakers, and partners whose work was disrupted.

They called on the government of Zambia to issue a full public explanation and guarantee that future human rights gatherings will not be subject to foreign interference.

The ASF advocated for legal frameworks that guarantees rights both online and offline saying “while RightsCon 2026 will not proceed, the fight for an open, secure, and rights-respecting internet

continues. ASF France remains committed to working with partners across Africa to ensure that legal

frameworks and public policies protect, not restrict, fundamental freedoms online and offline”.