Martial law: Year after South Korea imposed it, where else is it in force?

One twelvemonth ago, connected December 3, 2024, South Korea was thrust into a governmental situation aft then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, citing rising unrest and an alleged menace to nationalist security.

Troops were deployed, Yoon ordered the detention of absorption lawmakers, and cardinal authorities institutions, including the National Assembly, were placed nether subject command. Press freedoms were besides curtailed, though journalists continued reporting successful defiance of the restrictions, and citizens mobilised to request an extremity to the decree.

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The determination sparked wide demonstrations and, wrong conscionable six hours, the parliament was surrounded by protesters and constabulary arsenic lawmakers voted against the decree, forcing Yoon to retreat it.

Within days, the Supreme Court declared the little martial instrumentality unconstitutional. Weeks later, the president was impeached and removed from office, ending an bonzer infinitesimal successful South Korea’s antiauthoritarian history.

Yoon aboriginal issued a nationalist apology for the “anxiety and inconvenience” helium caused.

But elsewhere, the communicative often unfolds precise differently.

Several countries stay nether martial instrumentality oregon effectual subject rule, with wide-ranging implications for civilian liberties, governmental absorption and regular life.

So, wherever does martial instrumentality beryllium contiguous and what does it mean for the radical surviving nether it?

What is martial law?

Martial instrumentality is an exigency strategy of governance successful which the subject assumes authorization implicit immoderate oregon each civilian functions.

Depending connected the country, this tin impact the suspension of law rights, curfews and question restrictions, subject trials for civilians, expanded apprehension and detention powers, restrictions connected media and assembly, and more.

Sometimes, it besides includes the impermanent replacement of civilian institutions with subject administrators.

Governments usually warrant martial instrumentality connected grounds of war, wide unrest, equipped rebellion oregon a menace to nationalist stability. Rights groups, however, pass that it is often utilized to suppress dissent, consolidate power, oregon sideline antiauthoritarian processes.

Which countries are nether immoderate benignant of subject regularisation today?

Ukraine

Ukraine has been nether nationwide, self-described martial instrumentality since February 24, 2022 – the time Russia launched its full-scale penetration of the country. But dissimilar however martial instrumentality is traditionally understood, Ukraine is governed by a civilian administration.

Ukraine’s concern is person to what Vina Nadjibulla, vice president for probe and strategy astatine the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, described arsenic a “state of emergency, wherever governments activate peculiar powers – specified arsenic curfews, bans connected gatherings, oregon expanded policing – but wrong a law model that keeps civilian institutions, including parliament and the judiciary, formally successful charge.”

Nevertheless, nether the marshall instrumentality decree, the Ukrainian has granted extended powers to the equipped forces, banned men of warring property – typically those property 18 to 60 – from leaving the country, and restricted governmental enactment deemed harmful to the warfare effort.

Public gatherings besides necessitate approval, and media outlets indispensable comply with rules intended to support nationalist security. These see prohibiting the publishing of reports connected aerial defence systems, and banning footage of rocket launches.

The restrictions are broadly accepted by overmuch of the population, but they person raised questions astir governmental accountability and transparency successful the country, particularly arsenic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s authorities faces increasing accusations of corruption.

Ukraine’s martial instrumentality has besides sparked disapproval for efficaciously eliminating governmental challenges to Zelenskyy, with immoderate critics, including US President Donald Trump, arguing that the state needs caller elections.

Petro Poroshenko, a erstwhile president and person of the largest absorption party, said earlier this twelvemonth that portion martial instrumentality was needed, Zelenskyy, according to him, was utilizing the restrictions to fortify his power.

“I privation to accent that we should recognise the evident – the authorities has started to maltreatment martial law, utilizing it not lone to support the country, but to physique an authoritarian regime,” Poroshenko said during parliamentary debates successful April.

Myanmar

Myanmar’s service seized powerfulness successful a February 2021 coup, overthrowing the elected authorities of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The subject authorities has since declared martial instrumentality successful dozens of townships, particularly successful large cities similar Yangon, Mandalay and conflict-hit taste regions, granting commanders sweeping powers to detain, effort and execute civilians successful subject courts.

The military’s run against anti-coup absorption has plunged parts of the state into full-scale civilian war. Internet blackouts and wide arrests person been documented crossed martial-law zones.

“Military commanders person taken implicit section administration, civilian courts person been sidelined, and unfastened disapproval of the authorities oregon its projected elections tin pb to harsh punishment,” Nadjibulla said, describing Myanmar arsenic the “clearest illustration [of marshall law] successful the Asia-Pacific”.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International, accidental that more than 6,000 radical person been killed and tens of thousands detained since the coup. For galore communities, regular beingness involves checkpoints, curfews and the changeless menace of raids oregon aerial strikes.

The service has bombed schools, hospitals, and spiritual buildings with full impunity, Amnesty said, successful “widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian colonisation nationwide”.

In precocious July, the subject announced that it was lifting the authorities of emergency from immoderate parts of the country, up of nationalist elections that are scheduled to commencement connected December 28.

But immoderate 22,689 governmental detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, stay successful detention arsenic of December 2, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an autarkic organisation that keeps elaborate tallies of arrests.

The United Nations has warned that the “military-controlled” elections astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth are improbable to pb to immoderate antiauthoritarian transition, and mightiness lone “ingrain insecurity, fearfulness and polarisation passim the country”. Major governmental parties are barred from contesting successful the vote.

Thailand

Thailand is not nether nationwide martial law, but circumstantial areas on the country’s confederate provinces, including Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, stay nether longstanding exigency and information laws that assistance the subject expanded powers, akin to martial law.

These measures let abrupt searches, wide apprehension powers and dense subject beingness arsenic the authorities continues to combat a long-running equipped rebellion.

Thailand has precocious besides declared martial instrumentality successful the borderline districts of Chanthaburi, Trat, and Sa Kaeo provinces pursuing clashes with Cambodia.

The declaration was made to safeguard “national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the lives and spot of Thai citizens”, a connection by Apichart Sapprasert, commandant of the Border Defence Command, said successful July.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has been nether subject regularisation since the duplicate coups that the state witnessed successful 2022, archetypal successful January, past again successful September.

Since then, portion the authorities has not declared nationwide martial law, the country’s subject leaders workout afloat enforcement and legislative control, with restrictions connected governmental parties, and curfews are often imposed during information operations.

The subject claims its takeover was indispensable to reconstruct stableness amid escalating attacks by assorted equipped groups. But censorship, arrests of critics and limits connected nationalist assembly person tightened implicit the past year, according to rights groups.

The European Union and United Nations, among different bodies, person accused Burkina Faso of superior human rights violations successful its combat against equipped groups, including the indiscriminate killings and forced disappearances of dozens of civilians, among them journalists and quality rights defenders.

Guinea

Guinea’s subject seized powerfulness successful September 2021, suspending the constitution and dissolving parliament. Although martial instrumentality is not formally successful place, the subject authorities rules by decree.

Demonstrations person been repeatedly banned, and information forces person been accused of utilizing lethal unit against protesters demanding a instrumentality to civilian government.

Opposition figures look question bans and apprehension threats, and the modulation timeline has been repeatedly pushed back.

In September, voters in Guinea overwhelmingly backed a caller constitution that could let coup person Mamady Doumbouya to tally for president if helium chooses to.

Critics called the results a powerfulness grab, but the subject authorities said the referendum paves the mode for a instrumentality to civilian government. The statesmanlike predetermination is presently expected to instrumentality spot aboriginal this month.

A charter adopted aft the coup barred members of the transitional authorities from seeking office.

The country’s 2 main absorption leaders, Cellou Dalein Diallo and deposed erstwhile President Alpha Conde, are among those who called for a boycott of the referendum.

Their governmental parties are presently suspended, and Human Rights Watch has accused the authorities of disappearing governmental opponents and arbitrarily suspending media outlets.

Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau slipped nether subject power successful precocious November 2025, aft soldiers seized the predetermination committee conscionable arsenic statesmanlike results were due. According to the commission, ballot papers, tally sheets and adjacent the information servers were destroyed, making it impossible to finalise the count.

The service past installed Major-General Horta Inta-A arsenic a transitional person nether a caller “High Military Command”, dissolving civilian authority, and imposing curfews and bans connected protests and strikes.

Guinea-Bissau’s caller subject authorities are facing increasing unit from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reconstruct law regularisation and let the predetermination process to resume.

Madagascar

Madagascar has lived nether immoderate signifier of military-backed governance since 2009, erstwhile Andry Rajoelina, past a erstwhile politician supported by cardinal service factions, seized powerfulness successful a coup that acceptable the code for years of governmental instability successful the country.

Although respective elections person since been held, the subject remains a cardinal governmental actor, often intervening during periods of hostility oregon protest.

That signifier resurfaced successful October 2025, erstwhile weeks of youth-led demonstrations implicit corruption and economical vexation prompted the elite CAPSAT subject portion to defect and instrumentality power of the capital.

As the authorities collapsed, the service forced retired President Rajoelina and installed CAPSAT commandant Michael Randrianirina arsenic interim leader.

The subject enactment suspended astir nationalist governmental institutions and the constitution, forming a Council of the Presidency for the Refoundation of the Republic of Madagascar.

Randrianirina’s subject takeover has been condemned by the United Nations and by the African Union, which suspended Madagascar’s membership.

Are determination countries veering towards marshall law?

Though some are ruled by civilian administrations, the interim governments that came to powerfulness successful Bangladesh (2024) and Nepal (2025) aft their leaders were overthrown trust heavy connected the military, Nadjibulla pointed out.

In Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted successful August 2024 aft a wide uprising against her regularisation that intensified pursuing a bloody crackdown connected protesters. “Because the constabulary and civilian information services were severely discredited during the unrest, the service has remained highly disposable crossed the state since mid-2024,” Nadjibulla said. “The interim authorities are ruling chiefly done enforcement decrees portion preparing elections, with the subject acting arsenic a cardinal guarantor of bid and of the modulation itself.” Bangladesh is poised for caller elections successful February.

In Nepal, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had to permission bureau successful September 2025 amid youth-led protests.

An interim medication “took bureau done procedures that stretched the constitution,” Nadjibulla said. “Human rights groups person reported extended usage of unit by constabulary and, successful immoderate instances, by service units. This is not martial instrumentality connected paper, but it shows however rapidly information institutions tin go the decisive governmental players successful periods of crisis.”