A/HRC/RES/42/25
Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and
the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples;
22.
Requests the High Commissioner to continue to monitor and report on the
situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including through the
presentation of an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its forty-third and forty-fifth
sessions, and to prepare a comprehensive written report on the situation of human rights in
the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, with a special focus on the independence of the justice
system and access to justice, including for violations of economic and social rights and the
situation of human rights in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region, and to present the report to
the Council at its forty-fourth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue;
23.
Invites the High Commissioner to present an oral update to States Members
and observers of the Human Rights Council on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela through the modalities of the Council, in accordance with Council
resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007, before the end of 2019;
24.
Decides to establish, for a period of one year, an independent international factfinding mission, to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council, and to
dispatch that mission urgently to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to investigate
extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture and other
cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment since 2014 with a view to ensuring full accountability
for perpetrators and justice for victims, and requests the mission to present a report on its
findings to the Council during an interactive dialogue at its forty-fifth session;
25.
Urges the Venezuelan authorities to cooperate fully with the fact-finding
mission, to grant it immediate, full and unfettered access to and throughout the country,
including to victims and places of detention, and to provide it with all the information
necessary to fulfil its mandate;
26.
Requests the immediate operationalization of the fact-finding mission and also
requests that the Office of the High Commissioner be provided with all the resources
necessary to fulfil the mandate;
27.
Decides to remain actively seized of the matter and to consider further
measures, including the establishment of a commission of inquiry if the situation continues
to deteriorate and/or the Venezuelan authorities do not meaningfully cooperate with the
Office of the High Commissioner;
28.
Urges the Venezuelan authorities to engage with the United Nations human
rights system, in particular by submitting overdue reports to the treaty bodies and by
cooperating with the Office of the High Commissioner and the mechanisms of the Human
Rights Council, including by the full and timely implementation of all commitments made
during the visit of the High Commissioner, in particular to allow the Office of the High
Commissioner to maintain a presence in country, and to allow its staff, both in the field and
headquarters-based, full, unrestricted and unmonitored access, and to ensure that all
individuals have unhindered access to and can communicate with the United Nations and
other human rights entities without fear of reprisal, intimidation or attack;
29.
Encourages the strengthening of cooperation between the Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms in order
to monitor the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela;
30.
Calls upon the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to cooperate fully with all
relevant regional mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights and to grant
free, full and unfettered access to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
40th meeting
27 September 2019
[Adopted by a recorded vote of 19 to 7, with 21 abstentions. The voting was as follows:
In favour:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia,
Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Peru, Slovakia, Spain,
Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
5