Amnesty International’s Australian Director, Claire Mallinson, has hand-delivered a petition to the Syrian Embassy in Canberra, urging President Bashar al-Assad to end the bloodshed. The petition contains 4,568 signatures from Amnesty International supporters in Australia, contributing to an impressive global total of 165, 953.

Representatives of Amnesty International across the world are going to Syrian Embassies today to deliver the petition, which also calls for the referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor.

Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary-General is writing to President al-Assad with the names of all the signatories.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on President Assad to rein in his security forces, stop unlawful killings, torture and other gross abuses, and hold those responsible to account.

As well as calling for the referral of the situation in Syria to the ICC, Amnesty International has also called for the imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on Syria and an assets freeze on President Bashar al-Assad and others involved in ordering or perpetrating serious human rights abuses.

Amnesty International has the names of more then 720 people killed by the Syrian security forces during the past two months of unrest and demonstrations sparked by protests throughout the region.