Gringo Justice
in Nicaragua
The American, Eric Volz,
absolved of killing his
Nicaraguan girlfriend
was under guard at a
police hospital Tuesday
while struggling to
obtain his release from
custody, according to
his lawyer.
A Nicaraguan appeals
court on Monday
overturned a 30-year
sentence imposed on
28-year-old Volz, of
Nashville, Tenn., and
ordered his immediate
release.
Volz's lawyer, Fabbrith
Gomez, accused officials
of "a big delaying
tactic" to keep him from
being freed before
prosecutors can appeal
his freedom to the
Supreme Court.
The judge who convicted
Volz received the order
to release him, but sent
the file back to the
appeals court in the
city of Granada,
"supposedly because the
pages were not numbered
correctly," Gomez told
The Associated Press in
a telephone interview.
"But in Granada, they
say they haven't
received anything,"
Gomez complained.
Prosecutors said Monday
they would appeal the
decision that cleared
Volz, but the process
could take several days.
"It's our understanding
that if Nicaragua
continues to hold Eric,
a free man in the eyes
of the court, for an
impending appeal from
the Supreme Court, that
is against Nicaraguan
law," said Melissa
Campbell, spokeswoman
for Volz's family, in a
statement e-mailed to
The Associated Press.
Volz was being treated
for kidney stones, Gomez
said. Volz and a
Nicaraguan man, Julio
Martin Chamorro, were
sentenced in February
for the death of Doris
Ivania Jimenez, 25, who
was found raped and
strangled in November
2006 in a clothing store
she owned in Rivas, 55
miles south of Managua.
The appeals court upheld
Chamorro's conviction.
Volz's family and
friends say they are
worried for his safety.
After hearing that his
conviction was
overturned, some
Nicaraguan radio
stations urged people
"to take justice into
their own hands,"
according to a statement
on the "Friends of Eric
Volz" Web site.
Volz has proclaimed his
innocence from the
beginning, saying he was
in Managua, two hours
away from Rivas, when
the crime occurred. At
that time, Volz had
lived for two years in
Nicaragua, where he
founded a bilingual
magazine called "El
Puente," or "The
Bridge." He also worked
as a real estate broker.
U.S. State Department
spokesman Tom Casey told
reporters that U.S.
officials "are
continuing to be in
contact with the
Nicaraguan authorities
on this and urging them
to implement the court's
decision without delay."
"At the moment, we
believe that there's not
an immediate cause for
concern," he said,
noting that it often
takes two to three days
for Nicaraguan court
decisions to be carried
out.
"Our message to the
Nicaraguan government
is: We want to see this
decision implemented as
quickly as possible,
want to see him be able
to depart the country
and return to his
family." |
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