Several organizations, some of them Venezuelan, have joined the petition. They seek to have the commission set up during the September 2019 sessions.
These groups are asking the UN to task the commission with investigating cases of reported torture and inhumane treatment, arbitrary detentions, discrimination, forced disappearances, and violations of freedom of speech and of the right to life, health, and food.
“The victims of this serious humanitarian and human rights crisis in Venezuela deserve a forceful response from the Human Rights Council that will ensure respect for the right to truth, justice, and redress,” said José Miguel Vivanco, director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch.
Among the groups that signed the petition are Acción Solidaria, the Center for Human Rights at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, and Civilis Derechos Humanos. Other groups include Espacio Público, the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, the International Commission of Jurists, and PROVEA.
In July, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet published a report that accused Nicolás Maduro’s regimen of committing “serious human rights violations” and documented extrajudicial killings.
In the petition, the groups stated that the commission should be equipped with enough resources to investigate and report to the Human Rights Council within a specific timeframe.
The results of the investigation should be submitted to the UN Secretary General, in addition to relevant UN organizations, such as the Security Council and the General Assembly, they said.