52 lawyers including 27 Defence Counseld and 8 family members of those detained by the authorities, submitted a petition to the Deputies attending the 4th plenary meeting of the 12th Session of the National People’s Congress on March 4, 2016. The petition urged the National People’s Congress Deputies to initiate a committee of inquiry into specific issues under Article 71 of the Constitution of the PRC. It also referred to what it described as the “July 9 Crackdown”, when sweeping arrests took place and several days following that under the direction of the Ministry of Public Security and at least 19 practicing lawyers and rights activists throughout the country were placed under residential surveillance in a designated location. It added the vast majority of them were formally arrested after six months on charges of inciting subversion or subversion. The crackdown also extended to at least 317 lawyers and activists who were summoned, forced to meet with police, threatened or harassed.