The state of emergency allows a government to suspend certain civil liberties and powers. It’s often used in the face of natural disasters or to deal with rioting or mass property damage. During an emergency, the government can make regulations that infringe on constitutional rights, but only to the extent that they’re “reasonably justifiable for dealing with the situation at hand.” The government can also occupy and use public buildings and suppress secrecy of correspondence as needed. It can even suspend freedom of assembly, but only for a defined region and time period. If the president thinks this isn’t enough, he or she can declare a state of siege, which further reduces civil liberties by removing freedom of movement and allowing search without consent or warrant. It can also intervene in the function of companies and confiscate assets.

In the United States, a state of emergency can be declared by the President, with approval from Congress. This is different from martial law, which is enforced by the military and is imposed in times of war.

In Malaysia, a state of emergency was declared during the Konfrontasi riots in 1962 and 1966 and again in the 1977 Kelantan constitutional crisis and in 2015 for the severe haze. It was also implemented in Nigeria during the Boko Haram insurgency and again in the wake of the 2019 Nigerian general election. President Erdogan has announced three state of emergencies and two declarations of martial law in Turkey since the failed coup attempt in July 2016. A state of emergency was also imposed in Pakistan following the 2008 Mumbai attacks.