Internet users decry subversion charges over ex-teacher's blog articles

A laid-off teacher who criticised

state-sanctioned political ideologies on mainland blogging sites has been charged with inciting subversion of state power, sparking outrage among netizens.

Chen Pingfu , 55, published more than 30 articles "attacking the Communist Party and government, and defaming and tarnishing the socialist system", according to state charges.

The postings on Netease, Sina and Sohu allegedly expressed inflammatory ideas that Marxism and all theories put forward by the mainland's leaders - from Mao Zedong to Hu Jintao - "do no good to society and the public".

Chen also called for Western-style democracy, according to the indictment, which was posted on Sina's popular micro- blogging site.

Chen published the articles between July 2007 and March this year.

He had been forced to earn a living playing violin on the street after losing his teaching job when his school, which had been affiliated with a state-owned enterprise, closed in 2005 when the company went bankrupt.

At his trial in Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court in Gansu , Chen pleaded not guilty, saying he had no intention to incite subversion.