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A/HRC/S-17/2/Add.1 21 110. The prohibition of crimes against humanity is a jus cogens or peremptory rule, and the punishment of such crimes is obligatory pursuant to the general principles of international law.35 Furthermore, crimes against humanity are the culmination of violations of fundamental human rights, such as the right to life and the prohibition of torture or other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment.36 According to the principles of State responsibility in international law, the Syrian Arab Republic bears responsibility for these crimes and violations, as well as the duty to ensure that individual perpetrators are punished and that victims receive reparation.37 B. Individual responsibility for crimes against humanity 111. The principle of individual criminal responsibility for international crimes is well established in customary international law.38 According to article 27 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which the Syrian Arab Republic has signed but not ratified, the Statute applies equally to all persons, without any distinction based on official capacity. In this context, Syrian laws afford extensive immunities, in most cases, for crimes committed by Government agents at all levels during the exercise of their duties. Although the Independent Special Legal Commission was established in recent months to investigate events, the State still has not provided the commission with any details of investigations or prosecutions under way by this mechanism. VI. Recommendations 112. The independent international commission of inquiry recommends that the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic: (a) Put an immediate end to gross human rights violations; (b) Initiate prompt, independent and impartial investigations under both domestic and international law to end impunity, ensure accountability and bring perpetrators to justice; (c) Pending investigations, suspend from the military and the security forces all alleged perpetrators of serious human rights violations; (d) Ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and introduce domestic legislation consistent with it; (e) Release immediately all persons arbitrarily detained and provide international monitoring bodies and the International Committee of the Red Cross with access to all places of detention; (f) Allow immediate and full access for the commission and outside observers, and other United Nations human rights monitoring bodies; 35 Case of Almonacid-Arellano et al v. Chile, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Judgement of September 26, 2006, (Preliminary Objections, Merits, Reparations and Costs), para. 99. See also Official Records of the General Assembly (see footnote 34), Art. 26. 36 Almonacid-Arellano et al. v. Chile, para. 111. 37 See the Preamble to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: “Recalling that it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes.” 38 Prosecutor v. Tharcisse Muvunyi, Judgement, Case No. ICTR-00-55-T, 12 September 2006, para. 459