Digital rights violations are a significant challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A recent Joint Stakeholder Report submitted to the Universal Periodic Review showed that in the DRC, there is no standalone law that deals with cybersecurity and cybercrime issues. Rather these areas are currently addressed by the 2020 Telecommunications and ICT Framework as well as the Digital Code of 2023, which fall short in their application. This presents a considerable gap in accountability for violators, especially considering that, according to the report, “organisations have been reporting a concerning trend wherein, for their critique of governmental actions, journalists and individuals are facing criminal charges of defamation, the dissemination of 'false information' and the publication of rumours which, although unsubstantiated, have purportedly led to public alarm.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, digital rights violations are an invisible issue for many policymakers, regulators and law enforcement officials, and even underexplored in many human rights circles.
To raise awareness in this field, APC member Rudi International has been convening HakiConf, the organisation’s flagship digital rights conference in the DRC. This well-established annual event brings together different actors and focuses on capacity building and networking as a way to take the country to the next level. Since its inception in 2018, HakiConf has served as a critical platform for raising awareness and building advocacy around the challenges and opportunities presented by digital technologies.
In 2024, Rudi International hosted the fifth edition of the event with support from an APC subgrant. Held for the first time in the capital, Kinshasa, HakiConf 2024 marked a turning point not only for Rudi International but also for the broader ecosystem of civil society, legal professionals, businesses and regulators engaging with digital rights in the DRC. Centred around the concept of digital rights violations, HakiConf 2024 gave the community in Kinshasa an opportunity to learn about digital rights, forms of rights violations and legal frameworks for response.
Moving the conference to Kinshasa in 2024 was a strategic decision aimed at engaging directly with national policymakers, regulators and international partners based in the capital. “Hosting a human rights conference in the digital age in Kinshasa is very significant because the event is used as our main advocacy opportunity and the capital city is where decision makers are staying and can easily be found,” said Arsène Tungali, executive director and co-founder of Rudi International. “With the conference in Kinshasa, you are able to secure attendance of ministers, members of parliament, diplomats, etc. who are our targets for our advocacy and whose action can bring the change we are working for.”
While this shift posed logistical and political challenges, it significantly increased the conference’s visibility and impact. The presence of the President of the Regulatory Agency for Telecoms and a member of parliament, along with stakeholders from across civil society, law, academia and the private sector, signalled a new level of recognition for digital rights as a matter of national concern.
Understanding digital rights violations
One of the core objectives of HakiConf 2024 was to raise awareness around digital rights violations, an issue still underexplored in many human rights circles in the DRC. The conference filled this gap by introducing legal practitioners to the concept of digital rights, highlighting how they intersect with privacy, freedom of expression and access to information. For many of the 18 lawyers trained in the pre-conference programme, this was their first exposure to the field. As one newly trained lawyer shared, “The training on digital rights was eye-opening for me… This new field is now something I want to specialise in so I can be of great help to the community whenever their digital rights are violated.”
Through nine sessions held across multiple rooms, including panels on hate speech, connectivity gaps, emerging technologies and legal frameworks, participants gained insight into both their rights and responsibilities in the digital age. The regulator's public commitment to consider the recommendations from HakiConf in future policymaking is a powerful indication that such dialogues can influence the national agenda.
Creating space for new voices
HakiConf is organised with a view to accessibility for those who want to attend. HakiConf 2024 included over 80 on-site participants along with remote engagement via YouTube and Facebook for those who could not attend in person. Furthermore, “participation at HakiConf is available free of charge and is primarily through an online application form which assesses the level of understanding of participants of the topics to be discussed and the potential for them to join the movement,” explained Tungali. “The selection committee then selects the list of participants based on our capacity to host them (looking at logistics) and at the end, we have a mix of experienced participants and those who are there to learn.”
Rudi International also reaches out directly to key participants, offering assistance with registration, formal invitation letters and various types of support to ensure the event is as inclusive as possible. “The discussions impact everyone (on-site and online participants since the event is streamed) since HakiConf is a place for learning about the topic of digital rights, exchanging views on the current state of things in the country/region and where people leave with resolutions on how they can contribute,” affirmed Tungali.
Importantly, HakiConf has come to be one of the leading conferences on digital rights in francophone Africa. Its reach extends beyond the DRC, with annual participation by international attendees, mainly from French-speaking countries of Africa.
Building power in a fragmented landscape
As more communities come online, and the threats to digital rights become more complex, initiatives like HakiConf are essential. They demonstrate that rights-based digital governance is an achievable goal grounded in local partnerships and strategic advocacy.
In particular, given that the digital ecosystem is often dominated by government and corporate actors, civil society’s role as a convener remains critical. By strategically engaging partners such as Meta, Paradigm Initiative, Kadea Academy and local organisations like Tech and Law Society, Rudi International showed how cross-sector collaboration can amplify the reach and impact of advocacy efforts. Though the absence of key government ministers and diplomats due to scheduling conflicts was disappointing during the recent conference, the groundwork laid for future collaboration is promising.
Plans for HakiConf 2025 are already underway, incorporating lessons learned as well as increased exposure from the recent event. “The interest that it sparked in the local media and the feedback we received as a result of the media coverage paved a new future for us as an organisation as we look at the upcoming edition, scheduled for November 2025, in Kinshasa, for the second time,” Tungali stated. In addition, HakiConf’s model is one that can be adapted by other civil society organisations across Africa and beyond, by offering legal trainings to build the capacities of digital rights defenders, open participation, multistakeholder engagement and media partnerships.
Looking forward, Rudi International is leveraging its strengthened network to pursue strategic litigation in partnership with Paradigm Initiative. Several digital rights cases affecting Congolese citizens are being prepared for submission, potentially setting precedents that will further entrench digital rights in the country’s legal framework. “This is an important outcome of this year’s conference,” Tungali remarked. Hopefully after investing in dialogue and training with lawyers, organisations will find allies in the courts to guarantee the rights of the population.
This piece is a version of the information provided by Rudi International as part of the project "HakiConf 2024", adapted for the Seeding Change column. This column presents the experiences of APC members and partners who were recipients of funding through APC's subgranting programmes, supported by Sida, and of subgrants offered through other APC projects.
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Cover image: Photo courtesy of Rudi International/HakiConf