To address, reduce and overcome violence for political reasons, hatred and intolerance, as well as bringing justice and responding to the families of the victims of the terrorist acts that occurred in Venezuela between 1999 and 2017 will be the main objectives of the Commission for the Truth, Justice, Peace and Public Tranquility (COVEJUSPAZ), whose legal system was established in a law approved by the National Constituent Assembly (ANC).
Within its attributions lies the investigation with priority for the access to files or registries, a reason why it can make simple or certified copies of confidential and secret documents. In addition, the commissioners of the instance may make interviews, visits and inspections or any other diligence that is convenient for the fulfillment of their mandate.
Likewise, they have the power to submit to the ANC the proposals for pardon or amnesty measures for the persons responsible for the facts under investigation. They may also request the competent bodies to adopt preventive and security measures for the performance of their work, as well as for the protection of victims and declarants.
The commission, in accordance with the constituent law governing its operation, will have a validity of 12 months and will have “constitutional rank with legal personality and functional, administrative and budgetary autonomy”.
The exercise of its powers, contained in article 5, shall be ruled by the criteria of centrality in the victims and in the restoration; Gender approach; participation; Coexistence, public peace and reconciliation; Search for the real truth; Responsibility and recognition; and Human Rights perspective.
Conformation:
The ANC, at this Tuesday’s session, appointed constituents Delcy Rodriguez; who is the president, Carmen Meléndez and José Vicente Rangel Ávalos; priest José Numa Molina; Tarek William Saab, Attorney General; Alfredo Ruíz, ombudsman; María Rusián, member of the Latin American Foundation for Human Rights and Social Development (Fundalatin) and Soraya El Achkar. Also, Luis Durán, Ailin García and Édgar Márquez, of the organization of victims and relatives, as members of COVEJUSPAZ.
Among the entourage will be included three deputies of the National Assembly, while the Executive Secretariat is under charge of Larry Devoe, who is executive secretary of the National Council of Human Rights.
The designation corresponds to article 7 of the law of the commission, which states that the entity must be composed of 14 commissioners: three members of the ANC; Three members of organizations of victims of political violence in the period 1999-2017, a member of Venezuelan Human Rights organizations, two persons appointed on the basis of their professional capacity, ethics, and personal integrity; The Attorney General of the Republic, the Ombudsman and three deputies to the National Assembly (AN) appointed by the political bloc or group of opinion of the opposition parties.
