The Contemporary Exercise of Emergency Powers: Reflections on Permanence, Impermanence and Challenging Times

Abstract Emergencies are often unforeseen and unexpected phenomena which require immediate action. Emergencies can be political, social, economic, sanitary and ecological in nature. While acknowledging that a range of different kinds of emergencies require governments to respond by law, this contribution is focused on the ways in which the protection of human rights must be ensured in situations when terrorism, violent-extremism and counter-Terrorism can create emergency conditions resulting in emergency responses by states. I particularly address the challenges of sanitary and health emergencies occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.