Australia's foreign minister: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad 'should be tried'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13615150

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should face trial at a UN court over the "brutal" treatment of his people, Australia's foreign minister says. Kevin Rudd said incidents such as the alleged torture and murder of a 13-year-old boy by security forces had robbed Mr Assad of any legitimacy.

Activists say more than 1,000 people have been killed and 10,000 arrested in weeks of anti-government protests.

The 13-year-old boy, identified as Hamza al-Khatib, has become an icon of the uprising in Syria, says the BBC's Jim Muir.

"I believe it is high time that the Security Council now consider a formal referral of President Assad to the International Criminal Court," said Mr Rudd.


Hamza al-Khatib's death has become a rallying
point for anti-government protesters