Three Serbian members of Falun Gong -- the Chinese spiritual movement that China's Communist Party has sought to stamp out since the late 1990s -- were detained in Belgrade on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, a family member said on May 8. Sara Markovic, daughter of one of the detained, Dejan Markovic, told RFE/RL that, in addition to her father, two older women and her uncle, who has no connection with Falun Gong, were also detained. The Interior Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. Sara Markovic said the arrests occurred “because the three are practitioners of Falun Gong. It is a forbidden Buddhist practice in China.” Established in the early 1990s, Falun Gong is a spiritual teaching that combines meditation and traditional Chinese gymnastics with a moral philosophy.
Falun Gong Members Held Ahead Of Xi's Serbia Visit, Says Daughter Of 1 Detainee
Falun Gong activist Dejan Markovic was detained in Belgrade, his daughter said on May 8 (file photo).