The 69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) took place from March 9th to 13th at the United Nations offices in Vienna. The event was structured into plenary sessions, side events, and a number of mostly closed meetings. Representing Pirate Parties International, Lilia Kayra Kuyumcu and Kay Schroeder attended the session and followed the discussions closely.

Overall, the atmosphere throughout the week was generally polite and friendly, and at times even a bit funny. The first three days were particularly crowded, with a noticeable drop in attendance toward the end of the session. This shift gave the later days a calmer and somewhat more relaxed tone.

Plenary

The plenary sessions were largely dominated by official statements from member states. While these statements followed a formal and diplomatic style, there were occasional moments of visible tension. In particular, disagreements between the United States and China, as well as between Israel and Iran, and Russia and Ukraine surfaced during discussions. Although these exchanges were loosely connected to the topic of drug policy, they seemed to reflect broader political conflicts rather than the core agenda of the conference.

Committee of the Whole (COW)

The Committee of the Whole offered a much more hands-on view of the process, with delegates negotiating resolutions line by line and even debating individual words in real time. It became especially clear how political priorities shape outcomes, for example when the United States – having recently withdrawn from the WHO – pushed to remove references to the organization from the text. These moments highlighted just how detailed and, at times, strategic the negotiations can become.

Side events

In contrast, the side events offered a more engaging and diverse perspective. They highlighted practical work carried out by NGOs and various states, and demonstrated how these efforts connect to the activities of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). These sessions often felt more dynamic and informative, providing space for innovative ideas and real-world examples that complemented the more formal plenary discussions.

One notable issue throughout the plenary sessions was the inconsistent handling of speaking time. State representatives frequently exceeded their allotted time without facing consequences from the chair. At the same time, time limits during side events were enforced much more strictly. This imbalance had a direct impact on NGOs, whose speaking opportunities were often limited as a result. It also raised questions about priorities within the conference structure and influenced the overall culture of respect and fairness in discussions.

Looking ahead, there is real potential to build on what already works well. The openness and diversity of perspectives in the side events showed how valuable inclusive dialogue can be. Bringing some of that spirit more consistently into the plenary—while also ensuring fair and balanced speaking opportunities—could strengthen the overall impact of the CND. Creating space for a wider range of voices, without losing the structure of formal debate, would be a meaningful step forward.

pp-international.net/2026/03/c…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

A judge today ruled in favor of The New York Times in its challenge to the Trump administration’s unconstitutional policy restricting journalists’ access to the Pentagon unless they agree not to publish information that officials don’t authorize for release.

The following can be attributed to Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF):

“The judge was right to see the Pentagon’s outrageous censorship for what it is, but this wasn’t exactly a close call. If the same issue was presented as a hypothetical question on a first-year law school exam, the professor would be criticized for making the test too easy. It’s shocking that this sweeping prior restraint was the official policy of our federal government and that Department of Justice lawyers had the nerve to argue that journalists asking questions of the government is criminal.

“Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court called prior restraints on the press ‘the most serious and the least tolerable’ of First Amendment violations. At the time, the court was talking about relatively targeted orders restraining specific reporting because of a specific alleged threat — like in the Pentagon Papers case, where the government falsely claimed that the documents about the Vietnam War leaked by Daniel Ellsberg threatened national security. Courts back then could never have anticipated the government broadly restraining all reporting that it doesn’t authorize without any justification beyond hypothetical speculation.

“It’s unfortunate that it took this long for the Pentagon’s ridiculous policy to be thrown in the trash. Especially now that we are spending money and blood on yet another war based on constantly shifting pretexts, journalists should double down on their commitment to finding out what the Pentagon does not want the public to know rather than parroting ‘authorized’ narratives.”

Please contact us if you would like further comment.

freedom.press/issues/amid-war-…

Dear Friend of Press Freedom,

Estefany Rodríguez is free on bond, thanks to her lawyers and support from press freedom supporters like you. While we celebrate Rodríguez’s release, the government’s effort to deport her continues (you can speak out against it using our action center), and new threats to wartime reporting and Americans’ privacy are closing in. Read the latest on how you can protect the free press.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr seeks Iran-style media obedience

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is again openly abusing his power, this time to attack news outlets that displeased President Donald Trump with their reporting on the war in Iran.

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Senior Adviser Caitlin Vogus wrote in The Guardian this week about how Trump and Carr apparently want a press that operates more like that in Iran: largely obedient, state-run broadcasters that air propaganda praising a supreme leader and his wars. Newsrooms, lawmakers, and the public must push back. We also discussed Carr’s unconstitutional antics on MeidasTouch’s Legal AF podcast.

• Read the op-ed

Tell Congress: Reform Section 702

Next week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without making any changes to rein in the government’s power to spy on Americans without a warrant.

Section 702’s mass warrantless surveillance authority has a long history of abuse, including against journalists. Congress should not renew the law without significant reforms that will protect journalists and all Americans.

Use our action center to tell lawmakers not to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA without key privacy changes.

• Take action

Trump’s massive, secret government database

FPF Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy Lauren Harper wrote in The Intercept this week about how the Trump administration is on its way to creating every authoritarian’s dream: A centralized database containing intimate details about every resident of this country.

Agencies are reportedly pooling vast amounts of people’s personal data to create a powerful tool that would empower the government to conduct previously unimagined levels of surveillance and harassment.

The public deserves to fully understand just how badly Americans’ data and privacy have been compromised. That’s why FPF is suing for documents behind the database.

• Read the article

Attorney discipline boards must step up

The D.C. Bar’s decision to initiate disciplinary proceedings against disgraced Department of Justice lawyer Ed Martin has been viewed by some as a triumph for the rule of law. Not so fast, we say.

Don’t get us wrong — Martin should be disbarred. But he can’t be the sole sacrificial lamb. There have been plenty of well-founded complaints against Trump administration lawyers filed in Washington and elsewhere, but few go anywhere.

FPF’s Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern wrote about disciplinary complaints filed by us and others against government officials and lawyers whose conduct threatens First Amendment rights. Hopefully, the Martin investigation is the start of attorney discipline boards showing some backbone.

• Read the article

Two new must-reads on free speech and digital freedoms

Two of the biggest names in digital rights have just dropped must-read books.

In “Transaction Denied,” FPF board President Rainey Reitman writes about the shadow world of financial censorship, examining how banks and payment intermediaries shape and censor speech, and gives her firsthand account of co-founding FPF. A portion of every book sale goes to support our work.

In “Privacy Defender,” Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director (and longtime FPF legal counsel) Cindy Cohn dives into her 30-year fight against electronic surveillance. Buy your copy today to learn about — and help protect — digital rights.

What we're reading

I asked why immigration officers tripled in 30 days. The answer: A $48,000 bill

Two Can Be True
A great way to deal with Freedom of Information Act stonewalling: Report the news you can and explain why the government’s bad faith stopped you from reporting more.

National parks employees say SFGate has been blacklisted by the Interior Department

SFGate
Denying a media request because a ranger would need to speak Spanish — under the guise of “English is the official language of the U.S.” — is both wrong and plain dumb. Ojalá que no vengan con esas pendejadas la próxima vez.

CNN’s missed opportunity

Columbia Journalism Review
The Ellisons are “willing to throw the economic interests of their news holdings under the bus if it boosts their other business before the Trump administration,” FPF’s Stern explained.

Governor Rhoden approves anti‑SLAPP law, 11 other justice measures

KOTA
Good news: Gov. Larry Rhoden signed into law a bill protecting South Dakotans from strategic lawsuits against public participation. Red, blue, and purple states know there’s nothing partisan about protecting against anti-speech lawfare.

As Trump pushes deportations, immigration data becomes harder to find

The Associated Press
The Trump administration undoubtedly knows that missing and inconsistent immigration data makes it harder for journalists to fact check government lies and inconsistencies.

• Donate to FPF

Upcoming events

Join us at the events below; click on the flyers for more information, including on how to register.

FPF is proud to co-host the opening screening of “Steal This Story, Please!” — a documentary on journalist Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! FPF Executive Director Trevor Timm will deliver opening remarks, followed by a Q&A with Goodman and Oscar-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin.

Get your tickets today: Use code GOODMAN-15 for a $15 ticket.

freedom.press/issues/fcc-chair…