Security sector reform in transitions from military rule: Legacies of authoritarianism in Brazil

Abstract

According to the international legal system, countries in transition from authoritarian rule have the duty to provide truth, justice and reparations, and to prevent the recurrence of systematic human rights violations. Security sector reforms are a key preventive mechanism, and this article analyzes the impact of these reforms on the recurrence of torture, killings, and disappearances. As there are many types of reforms in the security sector, the main research question is: which reforms, or combination of reforms, are effective in preventing the recurrence of human rights violations? Brazil experienced a brutal military regime between 1964 and 1985, when security forces were involved in systematic human rights violations. A case study of the Brazilian transition from military authoritarian rule was conducted and the findings suggest that the involvement of armed forces in domestic issues, weak civilian authority, overlapping jurisdiction, and blurred lines of command within the security forces have a negative impact on the outcome of interest. Finally, contributions were made to scholarly debates concerning transitional justice, human rights, and institutional change

Note

Acknowledgments

In addition to the anonymous reviewers and the editors, I am grateful to Anna Blideman, Elburg van Boetzelaer, Eva Wegner, Hanna Partis-Jennings, Jennifer Todd, João Valentino, Johan A. Elkink, Márcio Kameika, Olivia Rule, and Stephanie Dornschneider for their helpful input during the development of this article. I am especially grateful to Alexander Dukalskis, as his supervision was crucial for this research.

Notes

1 The term gross human rights violations is adopted in line with the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which defined it as “torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, summary and arbitrary executions, disappearances, arbitrary detentions, all forms of racism, racial discrimination and apartheid, foreign occupation and alien domination, xenophobia, poverty, hunger and other denials of economic, social and cultural rights, religious intolerance, terrorism, discrimination against women and lack of the rule of law.” For simplicity and literary style, the terms gross-human rights violations and human rights violations are related to killings, torture, and disappearances, as these crimes are the focus of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partially funded by University College Dublin SPIRe Graduate Scholarship.

Notes on contributors

Samuel T. Almeida

Samuel T. Almeida is a MLitt Candidate in Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin, and holds an MA in Culture and Communication from Universidade de Lisboa, and Bachelor of Law degree from Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas. He currently works as Regional Advocacy Manager for Médecins Sans Frontières in Mexico and Central America; and previously as Humanitarian Affairs Officer for Médecins Sans Frontières in Iraq, and as a UNDP Researcher at the Brazilian National Truth Commission.