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The US has "turned a blind eye" to human rights abuses abroad, especially in Russia, Egypt and Bahrain, and backed out of vital international treaties, human rights advocates charged Thursday.

Representatives of a coalition of prominent human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union and Freedom House, laid out a 10-point-plan for US leadership on human rights in a briefing for reporters.

The plan has been sent to President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The groups expressed hope that whoever the next president is will take a leadership role in global human rights.

"The United States has long had a history of convenient allies. We believe there have been continued hypocrisies in the past two administrations," said Mark Lagon, international relations chair at Georgetown University.

The plan points specifically to human rights abuses in Russia and Egypt, accusing the US of ignoring its duty to promote human rights in order to maintain stable relationships with those governments.

In both countries, advocates said, civil societies have been targeted with violence and abuse while the US took minimal, if any, action.

The 10-point-plan also calls into question the continued supply of arms by the US to Bahrain despite crackdowns against protestors there and the recent decision to pull out of the international small arms treaty.