García Díaz, the Havana-based director of the independent news agency Centro Norte del País, is one of 29 independent Cuban journalists who were detained in March in a massive government crackdown on the independent media and political opposition.
His one-day summary trial was held in early April behind closed doors. He was tried under Law 88 for the Protection of Cuba’s National Independence and Economy, which imposes up to 20 years in prison for committing acts “aimed at subverting the internal order of the Nation and destroying its political, economic, and social system.” On April 7, the Havana Provincial Tribunal announced he had been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The journalist remained imprisoned in the Havana headquarters of the State Security Department until April 24, when he was sent to Boniato Prison in eastern Santiago de Cuba Province.