He attracted international attention for organizing a petition drive known as the Varela Project, in which 25,000 signatories petitioned the Cuban government to guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of assembly as well as to institute a multi-party democracy.
Ia meraih perhatian internasional karena menyelenggarakan sebuah petisi yang dikenal sebagai Proyek Varela, dimana 25,000 penandatangan mendorong pemerintah Kuba untuk memberikan kebebasan berpendapat dan kebebasan bermajelis serta melembagakan demokrasi multi-partai.