 In late August 2008 , a collection of several dozen Beijing lawyers signed a petition stating that the Beijing Bar Association leaders should be elected by the organization 's members , rather than being appointed . The petition letter stated that selection process in place for the Association 's directors is inconsistent with official guidelines and the Chinese constitution , and should be replaced with a democratic voting process . The Beijing Bar Association responded to the campaign by asserting that " Any individual who uses text messages , the web or other media to privately promote and disseminate the concept of direct elections , express controversial opinions , thereby spreading rumors within the Beijing Bar Association , confuse and poison people 's minds , and convince people of circumstances that do not exist regarding the so @-@ called ' Call For Direct Elections For the Beijing Bar Association ' is illegal . " The following year , the Beijing Bureau of Justice refused to renew the licenses of 53 Beijing Weiquan lawyers , all of whom had signed the petition for elections to the Bar Association . 
