More than a thousand people in Hong Kong organized a peaceful rally Sunday in support of the Muslim Uighur minority in China, waving Uyghur flags in the city's financial district in the latest demonstration in the anti-government protests that have been going on for six months.
The big and small crowd - dressed in masks and masked to conceal their identities - carried banners reading "Freedom for the Uighurs, Freedom for Hong Kong, False Autonomy in China Turning to Genocide."
The demonstrators condemned the Chinese government's violations of the Uighur minority, including arbitrary detention, torture and restrictions on their religious practices.
"I think the fundamental principles of freedom and independence should be fulfilled for everyone, not just in Hong Kong," said a 41-year-old protester who participated in the demonstration with her husband.
International experts and activists say that at least one million people from the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities have been held in camps in Shenjiang since 2017 as part of a campaign condemned by the United States and other countries.
Beijing says it is providing vocational training to help eliminate terrorism as well as teaching new skills, and denies any ill treatment of Uighurs.