Demonstrators with a protest song at the rally

This was the first such march to take place in Hong Kong since Britain handed it over to China last year.

The BBC Hong Kong correspondent says the island has always been a focal point for ceremonies to mourn those who died around Tiananmen Square and to call for greater political freedom on the mainland.

A demonstrator with the statue of the Goddess of Democracy

This year about 1,500 people gathered in the rain in Hong Kong's Victoria Park to sing about freedom in China, listen to speeches and then march through crowded shopping and business districts to central government offices.

The turnout was signficantly lower than last year, when an estimated 2,500 people took to the streets.

The BBC correspondent says the ability of pro-democracy groups to continue to hold such demonstrations is seen as a key test of Hong Kong's autonomy under Chinese rule.

March organiser Cheung Man-Kwong defiant in the face of Chinese rule

Cheung Man-kwong, one of those who organised the march, said he wanted to show that the handover to China hadn't brought an end to the fight for democracy.

He urged the Chinese government to release more dissidents jailed in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests.

In recent months some of the most high-profile prisoners have left prison but some human rights groups in Hong Kong are using the occasion of the anniversary to highlight the situation of those who may be less well known, but are still in prison.