Free Eric Volz

Eric Volz needs your help.

Eric is a 27-year old American citizen who has been living in Nicaragua for a few years. Eric is also the publisher of EP Magazine (a bilingual magazine that focuses on sustainable development and eco-tourism).

But here is why Eric needs your help. You see, Eric is now "living" in a maximum security prison in Nicaragua after being convicted of a murder he didn't, and couldn't, commit. In fact, unless his conviction is overturned, it will be his home for the next 30 years.

You can get the full facts of the case here, but in short, a young woman by the name of Doris Jiminez (a former girlfriend of Eric's) was killed on November 21, 2006, sometime between 11:45 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Despite the fact that Eric Volz has quite a few witnesses and evidence that he was more than 2 hours away that day, he was eventually arrested for the murder. And despite the fact that there was NO physical evidence at the scene to tie him to the crime, he was convicted. A conviction that came mostly as the result of testimony from some rather unsavory and unreliable sources. It was also a conviction that Over the past few months there has been a real groundswell of support growing for Eric, mostly as the result of publicity generated through a grassroots Internet effort.

I first discovered the campaign to free Eric Volz about a month ago as a result of the involvement of some friends and bands that had linked to the Free Eric Volz page on MySpace, and I've been telling others about it since then. Here is how you can help.

First, brush up on the facts. Visit sites like Free Eric Volz and Friends of Eric Volz . You can also check out a film about the case on YouTube.

Second, take action. You can contact your congressional representatives to have them put pressure on Nicaraguan authorities to investigate and revisit the case.

Third, if you are able, you can make a financial contribution so that Eric's parents and friends can continue their efforts to have him released.

And finally, you can help by making others aware. Spread the word. Link to this blog. Link to the previously mentioned sites. If you have a MySpace, put the Free Eric Volz MySpace site on your front page. In this day and age it is very easy to spread the word, so let's do our part.