By Erric Permana, Muhammad Nazarudin Latief and Nicky Aulia Widadio

JAKARTA (AA): The Indonesian government has denied the accusation that they have done nothing about the alleged human rights violations faced by Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she had a meeting with her Chinese counterpart and the Chinese ambassador to express the Indonesian government’s concerns regarding the fate of the Uighur community.

“We conveyed it directly to the Chinese government. We also emphasized the importance of respecting religious freedom,” she told reporters in Jakarta on Friday.

Marsudi ensured that Indonesia will continue to strengthen communication and coordination with the Chinese government regarding this issue.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people protested Friday outside the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta against the Chinese government’s systematic campaign against ethnic Uighur Muslims.

Demonstrators from several Islamic groups voiced anger at China’s repressive policies against the group, allegedly restraining their religious, commercial and cultural rights.

They condemned the alleged human rights violations against Uighur Muslims by the Chinese government.

Many demonstrators carried the Indonesian red and white flags and sky blue Uighur flags, demanding freedom for the group to practice their religion.

Protesters chanted slogans urging Indonesia to take a more active role on the issue, to denounce and prevent China’s policies.

They also called Muslims in the country to stand in solidarity with the Uighurs.

China’s western Xinjiang region is home to around 13 million Uighurs, according to the Human Rights Watch. China is accused of carrying out repressive policies against the Uighurs and restraining their religious, commercial and cultural rights.

Up to 1 million people, or about 7% of the Muslim population in Xinjiang, have been incarcerated in an expanding network of “political re-education” camps, according to U.S. officials and UN experts.

* Maria Elisa Hospita contributed to this story

[Photo: People take part in a demonstration against China’s persecution of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, in Vienna, Austria on December 22, 2019.  Photographer: Muhabiri Aşkın Kıyağan/AA]