A U.S.-based rights group is calling on President-elect Barack Obama to restore the standing of the United States as a human rights leader.

In a report Wednesday, Human Rights Watch says Mr. Obama must undo what it called "the enormous damage" caused by the Bush administration.

Guards escort a Guantanamo detainee at the Camp 4 detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 18 Nov 2008

The group has called for the closure of the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where some 250 terror suspects are being held. Most detainees have not been charged and some have been held for seven years. Mr. Obama is expected to announce plans to close the facility within days after he takes office Tuesday.

The Human Rights Watch report says without strong leadership from the West, countries that the group says oppose human rights enforcement are now setting the agenda - naming Algeria, China, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Russia.

It notes human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, and also criticizes South Africa for not doing enough to stop those abuses as an example of nations that fail to address problems in neighboring countries.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.