Pandemic Securitization and the Restriction of Democratic Space: Assessing State Emergency Mandates in Post-Transition States

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2020 | pp. 1–9

DOI: 10.46882/2020/GJPCS/110101

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Pandemic Securitization and the Restriction of Democratic Space: Assessing State Emergency Mandates in Post-Transition States

Authors: Aigul N. Sadykova¹, Carlos M. Fuentes²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of International Relations, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan; ²Department of International Relations, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Abstract:
The rapid global spread of COVID-19 in early 2020 prompted national governments to enact sweeping emergency public health measures, presenting an unprecedented test for global democratic governance. This paper examines the early implementation of state emergency mandates in post-transition regimes, evaluating how the securitization of public health affected civil liberties and political dissent. Utilizing a comparative institutional analysis of executive decrees issued in Central Asia and Central America during the initial phase of the outbreak, we track changes in state surveillance powers. The legal analysis demonstrates that broadly defined public safety laws were quickly used to restrict independent journalism and ban non-violent political assemblies. Our statistical models establish that states employing militarized quarantine enforcement regimes showed a 42% spike in human rights complaints and arbitrary detentions compared to states using civilian-led public health models. The study highlights how fragile states can exploit global crises to lock in executive overreach. We argue that preserving democratic stability during emergency transitions requires introducing independent judicial review boards with the explicit power to cancel state emergency mandates.

Keywords: Pandemic Securitization; Emergency Mandates; Civil Liberties; State Surveillance; Executive Overreach; Democratic Governance

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 12, 2019; Revised: July 20, 2019; Accepted: September 10, 2019; Published: January 20, 2020

Citation: Sadykova, A. N., & Fuentes, C. M. (2020). Pandemic Securitization and the Restriction of Democratic Space: Assessing State Emergency Mandates in Post-Transition States. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 11(1), 1–9. DOI: 10.46882/2020/GJPCS/110101

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