Washington - The United States on Monday denounced Syria's army as “barbaric” and “reprehensible” after the latest violence, renewing its charges that President Bashar al-Assad has lost legitimacy.
The State Department highlighted the death of 12-year-old Talhat Dalat, who human rights activists said died of his injuries on Saturday after a policeman earlier shot him at close range during an anti-regime rally.
“The behaviour of Syria's security forces, including other such barbaric shootings, widescale arrests of young men and boys, brutal torture, and other abuses of basic human rights, is reprehensible,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement.
“President Assad must understand that he is not indispensable, and we believe he is the cause of Syria's instability, not the key to its stability,” she said.
“The regime should make no mistake that the world is watching, and those responsible will be held accountable for their crimes,” she said, repeating Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks that Assad has “lost legitimacy”.
Syrians have been taking to the streets almost daily since March 15 to demand democratic changes amid a wave of protests across the Arab world. At least 1 486 civilians have died in Syria, according to human rights groups. - Sapa-AFP