Angelina Jolie: US must lead the way against torture

Angelina Jolie has said the US must "lead the way" against torture in its policies.

"Any country in a leading democracy must set an example," she said, according to BBC News.

It comes after a report last week revealed the "brutal" treatment of terror suspects by the CIA in its post-9/11 interrogation program.

Jolie's latest film, Unbroken, tells of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini who was held as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War Two.

"There are reasons why we have laws against torture. There are reasons why we have Geneva Conventions and we must follow them," the actress and director told BBC Arabic.

"We can't expect to break certain rules and behave in a certain manner and [believe] that won't affect the way other people behave and won't encourage how other people behave.

"So if we are to be who we represent ourselves to be as Americans and as a democracy, we have to lead the way and handle ourselves in a manner which is respectful to other human beings."