Hillary Clinton says she’s proud to have been part of an administration that “banned illegal renditions and brutal interrogations” and that the US should never be involved in torture anywhere in the world.

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

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“Today we can say again in a loud and clear voice that the United States should never condone or practice torture anywhere in the world,” Clinton told the audience.

“That should be absolutely clear as a matter of both policy and law, including our international treaty obligations.”

The remarks marked Clinton’s first on the subject since the release of a Senate report last week investigating the CIA’s interrogation techniques after 9/11.

The report has sparked questions about the appropriate use of force in the war against terrorism.

Clinton said that recent world events, including the mass murder of children in Pakistan and the siege in Sydney, “should steel our resolve and underscore that our values are what set us apart from our adversaries”.

Clinton said Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, would agree that it’s “possible to keep us safe from terrorism and reduce crime and violence without relying on torture abroad or unnecessary force or excessive incarceration at home”.

Clinton, a former first lady, New York senator and US Secretary of State, is considering another run for president and is viewed as the likely Democratic nominee if she runs.

She was honoured at the Kennedy organisation’s star-studded Ripple of Hope Award ceremony.