Zambia's government canceled RightsCon, a major global digital rights conference scheduled to start May 5 in Lusaka, just days before thousands of researchers and human rights experts were set to arrive. The government cited visa and security clearance issues, but rights organizations including Article 19 describe it as a direct attack on freedom of expression and assembly — a pattern consistent with governments blocking events that platform criticism of surveillance and digital rights abuses. This matters because RightsCon is where researchers document and coordinate responses to government censorship and digital repression worldwide.