American Cleared of Nicaragua Murder Fears
He Is a Political Pawn
Eric Volz, 29, of Nashville, Tenn., fears
that he is being pulled into the middle of a
political showdown between the Obama
administration and the Nicaraguan
government.
Volz, who has since returned to the United
States, spent more than a year in
a Nicaraguan jail before he was cleared of
murder says prosecutors in the Central
American nation are trying to reinstate his
conviction based on political motivation.
Tensions between the two boiled over last
week when the U.S. canceled more than $60
million in assistance to Nicaragua, citing
concerns about democracy, rule of law and a
free market economy in the nation, now led
by a former Marxist guerrilla leader.
Volz delivered a petition to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on
Tuesday, requesting an order terminating the
Nicaraguan government's efforts and seeking
a declaration that Volz's human rights were
violated by the court system.
"What I can tell you is my arrest and my
conviction in the court system had nothing
to do with evidence," Volz said.
"I think the Sandinsta government saw the
opportunity to have an American detainee and
create tension between the U.S. and
Nicaragua for a number of different
reasons."
Nicaraguan officials did not respond
immediately to a request for an interview.
Volz was convicted in February 2007 of
raping and strangling his ex-girlfriend,
Doris Jimenez, and sentenced to 30 years in
prison. But an appeals court overturned the
conviction a year later in a 2-1 decision
that led to protests in Nicaragua by those
who thought he received favorable treatment
because he was an American.
Volz, who had proclaimed his innocence all
along, was deported to the U.S. and
immediately went into hiding, complaining of
death threats.
In November, the Nicaraguan government asked
its Supreme Court to reinstate his
conviction. But Volz's attorney in the U.S.,
Andrew Tulumello, said his counterpart in
Nicaragua was given less then 24 hours
notice to appear before the court, leading
him to believe the Volz will not get a fair
opportunity to defend himself.
If Volz's conviction is reinstated,
Nicaragua could seek his extradition and
issue warrants for his arrest, Tulumello
said.
Tulumello said he is concerned that Volz's
case will be politicized.
"And the current tensions between the U.S.
and Nicaragua has only reinforced that
concern," he said.
The cut in U.S. aid follows a suspension in
new U.S. assistance announced last November
after municipal elections that the
opposition said were marred by fraud.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega declared
the protests were unconstitutional.
After the cut, Ortega accused the Obama
administration of being "stuck in the past"
in its policies toward his country and Cuba. |
