An American man who has been jailed in Cuba for more than four years is on a hunger strike.
Alan Gross, 64, has appealed to President Barack Obama to get personally involved in his case.
He said he began fasting on Thursday to protest against his treatment by the governments of both Cuba and the US.
Gross made the announcement in a statement released by his lawyer.
"I am fasting to object to mistruths, deceptions, and inaction by both governments, not only regarding their shared responsibility for my arbitrary detention, but also because of the lack of any reasonable or valid effort to resolve this shameful ordeal," it said.
"Once again, I am calling on President Obama to get personally involved in ending this standoff so that I can return home to my wife and daughters."
His wife, Judy Gross, said she was "worried sick" about her husband's health and that she did not think "he can survive much more of this".
Mr Gross was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 while working to set up internet access for the Communist-run country's small Jewish community.
At the time, Mr Gross was working as a subcontractor for the US Agency for International Development, a government agency that works to promote democracy on the island.
Cuban authorities see USAID's programmes as illegal attempts by Washington to undermine its government.
Alan Gross has been in jail since December 2009 Gross was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The case has become a sticking point in improving ties between the two countries, which have not had formal diplomatic relations since 1961.
Revelations last week that USAID secretly created a 'Cuban Twitter' communications network built to stir unrest on the island have added to the tension.
USAID's top official, Rajiv Shah, is scheduled to answer questions over the network today before a Senate subcommittee.
Gross' lawyer, Scott Gilbert, said his client was aware of the story.
"Once Alan was arrested, it is shocking that USAID would imperil his safety even further by running a covert operation in Cuba," Mr Gilbert said.
Mr Gilbert said his client has lost more than 110 pounds (50kg) since his arrest in December 2009 and is kept in a small cell with two other inmates for 23 hours a day, the Washington Post reported.
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