The deprivation of the right to liberty tops the list of human rights violations recorded in the past one year, the Uganda Human Rights Commission said in its 17th annual report presented to Parliament on Tuesday 24th March 2015.

Other violations cited include violation of the freedom from torture and cruel inhuman treatment, denial of child maintenance and violation of the right to property.

Most of the 348 complaints registered were against the Uganda Police Force.

“The detention beyond 48 hours occurred due to the Police force’s failure to release suspects on Police bond either intentionally or for the fear that the suspects could be a risk to the community or fail to appear for trial in court,” Commission Chairperson Med Kaggwa revealed

He noted that complaints on the rights to freedom from torture had also increased by 30%, with most of the cases reported being against state security agencies.

The Commission also decried the poor conditions in places of detention citing the imprisonment of juveniles together with adults in the same cells. The report called for the complete phase out of the bucket system where open containers are used for disposal of human waste inside the cells.

UHRC Chair Med Kaggwa urged Parliament to fast track the introduction of a Witness Protection Law, domestication of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and also ensure that all laws are aligned to International Human Rights Standards.

He also called for amendments to existing laws to prohibit the detention of civil debtors in prisons. This, he noted, had contributed to the overcrowding in prisons across the country.