TNR Watch May 28, 2026 The cancellation of RightsCon by Zambian authorities—reportedly in response to Chinese government pressure—is not an act of transnational repression (TNR), but it achieves goals of TNR such as discouraging free expression and bullying activists. Under pressure: In late April, the digital rights organization Access Now announced that its annual RightsCon conference scheduled to take place in Lusaka, Zambia, from May 5 to May 8 had been called off due to pressure from the Chinese government.* The announcement came after Zambian officials had abruptly backtracked on their commitment to host the event—considered the premier civil society gathering on human rights and technology—because Chinese government officials reportedly objected to planned discussion of China’s digital authoritarian practices and the participation of Taiwanese activists.…