GENEVA — Already angry over tougher sanctions imposed last week to punish its nuclear tests, North Korea faces renewed pressure over its human rights record as the United Nations Human Rights Council meets Monday to consider calls for an international inquiry into possible crimes against humanity.

Marzuki Darusman, an investigator for the United Nations, is expected to present a report to the council urging the creation of an international commission of inquiry to follow up on the abuses recorded in the eight years that a United Nations official has monitored human rights in the North.

“An inquiry mechanism could produce a more complete picture, quantify and qualify the violations in terms of international law, attribute responsibility to particular actors or perpetrators of these violations and suggest effective courses of international action,” Mr. Darusman said in the report.

His recommendation will be taken up in a resolution sponsored by Japan and the European Union that the 47-member council was expected to adopt when it votes later in March. The proposal, backed by the United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay, as well as various human rights organizations, is expected to draw on concerns about North Korea’s conduct that prompted both the council and the General Assembly to pass resolutions last year condemning Pyongyang.