http://dx.doi.org/10.17176/20200425-164920-0 https://staging.verfassungsblog.de/international-human-rights-law-and-covid-19-states-of-emergency/ International Human Rights Law and COVID-19 States of Emergency Emmons, Cassandra V. eng 2020-04-25 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Coronavirus COVID 19 emergency powers international human rights Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 As has been highlighted by other contributors to this Symposium, emergency decrees have already been used to achieve political ambitions beyond addressing COVID-19 in places like Hungary or Bulgaria. While states bear the responsibility of protecting their nations, modern day international human rights law is designed precisely to protect people from governments that abuse their powers. What limits does international human rights law impose on governments during emergencies? Can they be enforced? And how does COVID-19 fit in these conceptualizations?