Clinton denounces torture, says black lives matter

NEW YORK (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she's proud to have been part of an administration that worked to ban brutal interrogations and said the U.S. should never condone or practice torture anywhere in the world.

Clinton spoke about the importance of the nation acting in accordance with its values as she accepted an award from The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights at a New York gala.

Clinton said Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, would agree it's possible to fight terrorism and reduce crime and violence without relying on torture abroad or unnecessary force at home.

During her speech, she declared, "yes, black lives matter," a mantra of demonstrators around the country who have been protesting recent grand jury decisions not to indict white police officers involved in the deaths of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and in New York.

Clinton, a former U.S. first lady, New York senator and U.S. secretary of state, is viewed as the likely Democratic presidential nominee if she runs. She was honored at the Kennedy organization's star-studded Ripple of Hope Award ceremony.

Entertainers Robert De Niro and Tony Bennett and Physicians Interactive Chairman Donato Tramuto also were honored.

The nonprofit says the award is meant to laud business leaders, entertainers and activists who demonstrate commitment to social change and "reflect Robert Kennedy's passion for equality, justice, basic human rights, and his belief that we all must strive to 'make gentle the life of this world.'"