Dear President Bush,
I'm not sure if you are aware of the case of Eric Volz. Eric Volz is an American citizen and political prisoner in Nicaragua. Last year, Eric's ex-girlfriend was brutally murdered while Eric was in Managua, two hours away from the scene of the crime. Ten witnesses testified on behalf of Eric and his innocence.
Unfortunately, the Nicaraguan media decided to make this a political issue by proclaiming Eric's guilt simply because he is an American. The Nicaraguan media has been successful in demonizing Eric to the point of a lynch mob forming to attack Eric and a U.S. Embassy official before his trial last year. The Nicaraguan judge was obviously intimidated to the point of throwing out all of Eric's witness testimonies and finding Eric guilty. Eric was sentenced to 30 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit, a crime he couldn't have committed.
Over the past year, I along with Eric's family and friends have looked for assistance from the U.S. government in freeing Eric. We have had dozens of conversations with Congressmen and State Department officials. All of the government officials we have heard from believe Eric to be innocent. Yet the American government hasn't so much as lifted a finger to help a citizen being held as a political prisoner in a foreign company.
This week in Nicaragua, an appeals court overturned Eric's conviction and acquitted him. Yet Eric remains in jail.
Once again the Nicaraguan media has inflamed the populace by asking that people "take justice into their own hands". Nicaraguan officials have acquiesced by appealing the acqquital, during which time they intend on jailing Eric indefinitely until the Supreme Court can hear this case.
As an American citizen, I am embarrassed that the U.S. government has done nothing to right this injustice. When Iran took American hostages in 1979 for political reasons, the U.S. government worked hard to release them. The Iran Hostage Crisis was obviously complicated by the volatile situation in the Middle East at the time.
There are no such complicating factors in Nicaragua.
On Independence Day 2006, you said "this country remains a beacon of hope for all who dream of liberty". Quite frankly, this statement rings hollow in light of Eric's situation. A more cynical person might go so far as to say that had Eric been imprisoned in a Middle Eastern country, that the U.S. government would have moved heaven and earth to free him.
I still believe that this country is indeed a beacon of hope for those who dream of liberty and freedom of oppression. President Bush, I ask that you move heaven and earth to free Eric Volz.
Respectfully yours,
Will Hinton
willhinton@gmail.com
404-210-1821
Full details of Eric's situation can be found on my blog at http://www.goodwillhinton.com/...