The White House has called for the immediate release of an American aid contractor who was jailed for 15 years in Cuba for attempting to undermine the revolution.
Alan Gross, 61, was convicted of “acts against the independence and territorial integrity of the state" after a two-day trial in Havana, for attempting to set up secretive internet networks for rebels and activists.
The Cuban government described his actions as a “subversive plot” to topple the revolution using sophisticated communications technology, but the American authorities claim he was only setting up web access for the island’s Jewish community.
Gross has been in a Cuban jail since his arrest in December 2009.
Following his conviction and sentence White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said: "Today's sentencing adds another injustice to Alan Gross's ordeal. He has already spent too many days in detention and should not spend one more.
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"We urge the immediate release of Mr Gross so that he can return home to his wife and family.”
Gross was posted to Cuba by DAI, an American development company, which had a contract with the US Agency for International Development to carry out work aimed at promoting political change.
Such projects have been criticised for provoking the Cuban government, which has made them illegal and views them as part of longstanding efforts to attack the government.
Cuban prosecutors said Gross targeted young people, universities, religious groups and women's groups.
Gloria Berbena, spokesman at the American Interests Section at the embassy in Havana said Gross was "in Cuba helping average Cubans connect with the rest of the world”.
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“It is appalling that the Cuban government seeks to criminalise what most of the world deems normal, in this case access to information and technology,” she said.
Gross's legal team said his family was "devastated by the verdict and harsh."
"Alan and his family have paid an enormous personal price in the long-standing political feud between Cuba and the United States. We will continue to work with Alan's Cuban attorney in exploring any and all options available to him, including the possibility of an appeal," said his attorney Peter Kahn.