THE ABUSE OF AUTHORITY PERPETRATED BY THE MILITARY AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF BAHIA: AN ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL VIOLENCE

Abstract

Abuse of authority by military agents in Brazil constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental rights and guarantees ensured by the 1988 Federal Constitution, especially when it disproportionately affects the Black population. In the state of Bahia, a federative unit where the majority of the population self-identifies as Black or mixed-race, the recurrence of lethal police interventions and selective stops demonstrates the persistence of structural patterns of racial inequality within public security. This study aimed to analyze how abuse of authority by military personnel in Bahia affects the Black population, understanding its relationship with institutional violence and the mechanisms that perpetuate structural racism. The research was developed through a doctrinal review of the literature, of a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive nature, with a theoretical-analytical approach, based on national and international normative frameworks, as well as academic productions in the areas of Law, Criminology, and Human Rights. The results showed that such practices are not isolated episodes, but manifestations of an institutional logic marked by penal selectivity and the fragility of mechanisms for controlling the use of force. It is concluded that addressing the problem requires structural reforms in the public security system, strengthening state accountability mechanisms, and implementing anti-racist public policies in order to guarantee the realization of material equality and the protection of fundamental rights.