Every governance event classified by the Civica Pulse Beta pipeline. Updated daily.
The Civica Pulse Beta is a real-time governance shock monitor under active validation. Events queued for human review (severe and catastrophic severity tiers, plus events where the classifier didn't reach consensus) do not drive published Pulse scores until a reviewer confirms them. See the Pulse methodology for the full pipeline.
(Johannesburg) – The Zambian government’s decision to postpone RightsCon 2026, effectively canceling the summit, raises concerns about the authorities’ commitment to free expression and assembly and about possible Chinese government interference, Human Rights Watch said today. The 14th edition of RightsCon was scheduled to be held in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, from May 5 to 8, 2026.
In an April 29 statement, the Zambian government said that the postponement was “necessitated by the need for comprehensive disclosure […] relating to key thematic issues proposed for discussion during the Summit.” The technology and science minister had earlier said that the postponement was to allow for “pending administrative and security clearances” of some speakers. As a result, the RightsCon organizers, Access Now, announced on April 29 that “we do not recommend registered participants travel to Lusaka for RightsCon.”
“The Zambia government’s flimsy reasons for postponing RightsCon suggest that the government wanted to control the summit’s human rights agenda,” said Idriss Ali Nassah, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities sh
The Zambian government's effective cancellation of RightsCon 2026 through a last-minute postponement citing vague security clearances constitutes a de jure/de facto restriction on the right of assembly and association for civil society actors, with HRW flagging concerns about free expression and possible foreign interference in the decision.
Run 2 · temp 0.4
Assembly rights restriction (de jure)
Rights & FreedomsModerate − · -3
The Zambian government's effective cancellation of RightsCon 2026 through a last-minute postponement citing vague 'security clearances' constitutes a de jure/de facto restriction on freedom of assembly and association for civil society actors, raising concerns about government control over human rights discourse and possible foreign interference.
Run 3 · temp 0.8
Assembly rights restriction (de jure)
Rights & FreedomsModerate − · -3
The Zambian government effectively canceled a major international human rights and technology summit through a last-minute postponement citing vague 'security clearances,' raising concerns about de facto restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression for civil society gatherings.