US leads attack on human rights: Amnesty

"Four years after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, human rights are in retreat worldwide and the United States bears most responsibility, rights watchdog Amnesty International said.

"From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe the picture is bleak. Governments are increasingly rolling back the rule of law, taking their cue from the US-led war on terror, it said.

"'The USA as the unrivalled political, military and economic hyper-power sets the tone for governmental behaviour worldwide,' secretary-general Irene Khan said in the foreword to Amnesty International's 2005 annual report.

"When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law and human rights, it grants a licence to others to commit abuse with impunity," she added."
Source: ABC News