uban authorities arrested journalist Carmelo Diaz Fernandez on March 19, 2003 for voicing opposition to Fidel Castro's regime. Fernandez is the president of the Christian Trade Union and an executive board member of the Unitary Council of Cuban workers. He is also the editor of Cuban Independent Trade Union Press Agency (APSIC) and has written articles about Cuban education, economy and society. In addition, his work is published on the CubaNet and CartadeCuba websites. Fernandez was sentenced to 15 years in prison and was upheld by the people's supreme court in June, according to Reporters Sans Frontieres.

Fernandez made headlines in 2002 when he called the visit of former United States President Jimmy Carter "a propaganda coup for the Cuban government." While Fernandez admired Carter's willingness to meet with Cuban dissidents, he criticized the former President for not using the visit to call attention to Cuba's problems. Fernandez and other dissidents had hoped that Carter would address the Cuban people about the Varela Project. The Varela Project was a petition presented to the Cuban legislature signed by 11,000 people, asking the government for more personal and economic freedom. If 10,000 citizens sign a petition in Cuba, the government is required to hold a referendum, according to the UK Telegraph.

According to CubaNet.org, Fernandez is ill and is not receiving medical treatment. He is reportedly suffering from lymphangitis in his legs and high blood pressure. Reporters Sans Frontieres reports that his cellmates tried to alert guards about Fernandez's condition many times before he was finally given medication for his high blood pressure. He is not receiving treatment for his lymphangitis, and the medication he is taking for his blood pressure has been withdrawn from sale, according to his family.