This study contains an introduction by Niall MacDermot, and country studies of over 15 countries which had experienced states of emergency in the 1960s and 1970s.
Experts from these countries were commissioned to prepare papers which would serve as a basis for the study. ZThey were asked to outline the existing constitutional and legislative provisions governing states of emergency, to describe the circumstances in which emergencies were declared, and for what purposes, the action taken under the state of emergency and the extent to which it complied with the pre-existing legislation, the abuses, if any, which occurred, and the circumstances under which the emergency was terminated or continued to be in force after the circumstances had ceased to exist.
In addition to these country studies, two questionnaires were circulated to 158 governments, regarding states of emergency in general and administrative detention.
The countries included are the following: Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Eastern Europe, Ghana, Greece, India, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Peru, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay and Zaire.
With observations and conclusions.
states of emergency-thematic report-1983-eng (full text in English, PDF)