00:00RightsCon 2026 will not be happening this year.
00:03The Summit for Civil and Human Rights in the Digital Age was meant to be held in Zambia,
00:07but was canceled last minute, reportedly due to Chinese pressure.
00:11In a statement provided to Taiwan Plus, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it expresses its strongest
00:16condemnation of China's transnational repression and its egregious actions undermining international
00:21human rights exchanges.
00:22It also said it supports and appreciates the affected organizations for standing by their
00:27values and showing moral courage.
00:28In a statement given by NGO Access Now on Friday, organizers said they received a phone
00:34call from Zambian government officials, saying diplomats from China objected to Taiwanese
00:38participation in the event.
00:40Officials were reportedly told to exclude Taiwanese participants and change specific topics for
00:44the event to go ahead.
00:46Instead, organizers canceled, saying Beijing's demands ran counter to the event's principles.
00:51It comes as President Lai Ching De visits Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa, Eswatini, a trip
00:57initially postponed after China reportedly pushed three countries into blocking his plane's
01:01flyover privileges.
01:03Beijing is a major investor in Zambia and views Taiwan as part of its own territory and seeks
01:08to block its international participation.
01:10NGOs condemn the move, with Human Rights Watch saying that this raises concerns over freedom of
01:16expression.
01:16Scott Huang and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
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