Sunday, April 8, 2007

Nifonged in Nicaragua: El Nuevo Diario Fights Back

Originally published at the Main Blog April 3, 2007

In response to recent coverage by The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show , and several other US media outlets, the Snooze Room South, El Nuevo Diario, has begun to fight back against the campaign to expose the Nifonging of American Eric Volz in Nicaragua. In two articles reminiscent of the Snooze Room’s rebuttal of the 60 Minutes expose of Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong’s hijacking of the Hoax, the Nicaraguan newspaper that led the call for the false conviction of Volz continues its propaganda campaign in a fashion that would make Bob Ashley proud.
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The most recent article entitled, “Pure Lies of the Volz Family," challenges the assertion that Volz's life has been threatened while also questioning statements that have suggested Volz was wrongfully convicted.The spokesman of the National Penitentiary System, Oscar Molina, denied that internal of nationality the Mexican-North American, Eric Stanley Volz, outside threatened of death by other inmates, and that even is within the penitentiary with its own guards of security, as they have informed it average into press of the United States.
"The spokesman of the National Penitentiary System, Oscar Molina, denied that the Mexican-North American, Eric Stanley Volz, has been death threatened by other inmates, and that he is within the penitentiary with his own security guards, as has been reported by the United States press.

“That is a total falsification”, expressed Molina, who assured that “we have not known of threats to Mr. Volz, nor does he have a personal guard. He is in a common cell where there are other individuals monitoring the penitentiary center,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Mercedes Alvarado, mother of the young person assassinated by Volz, the Nicaraguan Julio Martín Chamorro, and another person still unknown, described as a desperate and unfortunate way the massive manipulation of the average Americans, where incoherences are published, things that do not have anything to do with the process and only make Eric Stanley Volz look good.

“But this is absurd and the manipulation of the average Americans is seen, who only now are into this case; and of Mrs. Maggie Anthony, who in her eagerness to release to her son has unleashed this campaign which is devoid of all credibility, to make her son the victim rather than the criminal that he is,” affirmed Alvarado.

Pure falsification

Molina was surprised by the reports of the North American media, that indicate that Stanley Volz has a personal guard who protects him from the rest of inmates.

“I do not know to what they are talking about, our headquarters our has no personal guards,” explained Molina, who tried to make sense of the information, indicating that perhaps they meant when [Eric] Stanley Volz or any other prisoner is taken from one place to another one, then it is done by one or two civil employees of the National Penitentiary System. “The rules establishes that a prisoner cannot travel alone from one place to another one,” reminded Molina.

So why do they not say the truth?

Through the Internet and North American media, it is questioned whether the judgment that condemned Volz and Chamorro was a corrupt and political process, and one that weighed more what was published about him in Nicaraguan media; but, in addition, they manipulate politically when indicating that Alvarado is an activist of the Sandinista Front, that received endorsement of the government party to mobilize great amounts of people to the courts to request the sentence of Volz.

The mother of the victim stated to El Nuevo Diario that she does not have anything against the Americans, and assured that she would had acted the same if the murderer of her daughter, Doris Ivania Jiménez Alvarado, had been a Chinese Communist, Cuban Venezuelan or another. “What they did to my daughter was an atrocious murder and those who did it had to pay,” she indicated.

Alvarado questioned that the average North Americans do not publish the fact that the defense lawyers are recognized militant ones of the Sandinista Front. “So that Doña Maggie does not say to them that her son's lawyers are Ramón Rojas, who handles cases for Daniel Ortega, and Fabric Gómez, legal assistant of the political secretary of the FSLN of Rivas? So why don't they say that if it is true that it was a political judgment?" she asked.

Nothing that to see

NBC reporter, Kerry Sanders, in his video news article on the Internet, indicates that the family of Volz has fear of the threats that the criminal has received in the prison, but Molina denies it fully.

“Threats of death to Mr. Volz? We have not received nor known no fact and information that is directed towards that, nor no offense has occurred the prevailed one of freedom,” he indicated.

“I do not know anyone that does not reveal when he is in danger, he says it so that they protect him or they pursue, there does not exist such a threat,” he reaffirmed.

Violated and assassinated

As one remembers, the crime against the young person Doris Ivania happened on November 21, 2005 in the afternoon, and the scene was the small store of clothes that had the contiguous victim to the South flank of the municipal market of San Juan of the South. There the young person was violated and soon assassinated, according to the sentence, by her fiancè, Eric Stanley Volz, Chamorro Lopez and another person.

Both were found guilty of the brutal crime of passion on February 16 of this year, and were condemned to the maximum penalty that exists in Nicaragua, 30 years.

At the present time, the case is in appeal in the courts of the city of Granada.
The second recent El Nuevo Diario article, "Enormous Media Campaign of the Volz Family," attacks the Volz family's efforts to bring media attention to their son’s wrongful conviction by suggesting they have falsely portrayed the evidence, the trial, and the victim's mother. The article further assails the Volz family by suggesting that their efforts endanger Nicaraguans in the US.
Enormous media campaign of the Volz family

Video on the Internet made by the large television networks of the US interested in the case and they make Volz as the victim "The Message is Clear: there is an innocent American in a jail of a communist country", said a US Citizen A call to the citizens to demand justice through the senators and congressman, and to make a coarse of political manipulation

by Martín Mulligan/ Granada

Eric Stanley Volz and his prison sentence of 30 years for the rape and murder of Doris Ivania Jiménez.

The Mexican-American Eric Stanley Volz and his prison sentence of 30 years for the rape and murder of Doris Ivania Jiménez, has awoke an aggressive media campaign on the Internet, that has resulted in the newspapers and the television of the United States, connoting the fact as an unjust sentence against an American citizen "in a country governed by the left"

National media threw firewood to the fire because of a video risen on the Internet by the family of Volz, the national American Network NBC presented this past Monday a report of more than eight minutes: "He was condemned unjustly?" In this, Maggie Anthony, the mother of Volz, and their lawyer in the United States, Jacqueline Becerra, expose the case as a judgment blurred of corruption, lack of tests and agitated by the national media toward a feeling anti US Citizen.

"We are not seeking sympathy --the evidence is clear -- he was in Managua at the moment of the crime", said in the program by his lawyer, who alleges that the judge refused seven of the witnesses, as well as the records of the calls registered by the telephone antennae that shows that Volz was two hours of distance when the homicide occurred.

Another of the arguments by Becerra was to declare that the judge was left to carry by speculations, therefore "we know that, of all the evidences collected by the Police, none connected Volz with this crime"

Screen of image and content

In the report it is confirmed that the defense of Volz prepares an appeal to the prison sentence, but the family has fear of supposed threats that the defendant has received in prison.

"Eric has a personal guard to protect him from the other inmates, because there is a fear that they will try to murder him for the prison sentence that they gave him of Rape and murder", the reporter of NBC says, Kelly Sanders

Political Manipulation

Subsequently --in an interview with Mercedes Alvarado, mother of the victim -- the reporter describes to Alvarado as a communal leader and activist of the sandinista party , to whom he asks her: Were you the one whom created the mobs against Eric? "No, by no means, Sanders", responds Alvarado, while behind her a poster of the campaign with the image of the chosen president is observed, Daniel Ortega.

The report does not mention the use of the illegal weapons that the 14 men of the personal security of Volz carried, nor the Nicaraguan Julio Martín Chamorro López, which was also condemned to 30 years of the same crime.

Nevertheless, the mother of Volz indicates that, among the four defendants, beforehand, the national media took "chivo expiatorio" to her son, causing violent reactions among the settlers, that finally resulted in the verdict of the judicial authorities.

Other American medias also have written the history, among them, The Wall Street Journal, with headquarters in New York, which also shows Alvarado as a political activist of the FSLN, and that conducted the local population to the courts to claim justice for the death of her daughter.

On the other hand, during the judgment, the newspaper expressed that although the defense, Fabbrith Gómez, appealed before the judge the story of a witness whom is an alcoholic, on the contrary the judge permitted him to declare that he saw Volz leave the store of Doris, during the time that the Police registered the occurrence of the crime.

Video on the Internet asks for justice through the senators and congressman of the US

"Injustice anywhere is a threat for the justice everywhere", by Martin Luther King, Jr., is the epilogue with the one that created the video that the family of Volz put on "You Tube" the most visited place on the Internet

Messages and Reactions

Among many of the messages, can be read reactions of this type: "I am nica-American and this gives me pain in my stomach to see what is happening there (Nicaragua) with the Nicaraguan government, under the leadership of Daniel Ortega, who is friend of Chávez and Castro, that are oppressive governments of their own people, therefore they are corrupt governments and have always been anti US Citizens." Among others, messages read as: "If such a situation is happening in Nicaragua with the Americans, then we should put Nicaraguans in the United States in prison." Reserving her identity, EL NUEVO DIARIO consulted an American that has been monitoring this media campaign, whom by the tone of the situation, considers that the family of Volz expects to exercise with the media pressure and call attention to the Nicaraguan government.

"By the circumstance of that they are involving the senators and congressman, I believe that the family of Volz thinks that if the government of Nicaragua sees the entire world has seen this judgment, perhaps they will change it and take letters in the matter."

"And I believe that the message is clear. There is an innocent American in a Banana Republic jail, and that this is creating feelings against the Nicaraguans in the United States, there all believe that Volz is innocent", declared the interviewed.
The recent articles follow closely El Nuevo Diario’s pre-trial coverage in tone and slant. The following is a very rough translation of an article that appeared on December 3, 2006. Despite the similarity in style and substance, it was not written by Samiha Khanna.
The CRIME that shook San Juan del Sur

Suspicion of betrayal is what apparently motivated the horrible crime against the beautiful and likeable young woman of San Juan del Sur, Doris Ivania Jiménez, 25, who, due to her popularity and participation in beauty contests, was very well-known in this harbor city. * A young man of San Juan appeared in the life of the victim, and apparently he was the motive of the atrocious fact, since the supposed killer was jealous. * Grandmother and friend of the victim agree this must cause reflection for girls, so that they do not take foreigners as lovers.

SAN JUAN del Sur, RIVAS - Perhaps this “sirenita” of San Juan del Sur never imagined that starting a relation with the Mexican-gringo Eric Stanley Volz, 27, would culminate in another women assassinated by his kind in our country.

According to the Public Ministry Department of Rivas, Stanley Volz was the mastermind of the crime that also involved Nelson Antonio Lopez Dangla, 24, Julio Martin Chamorro, 29, and Armando Llanes, 20.

The crime that has affected the citizenship of San Juan del Sur took place on the afternoon of 21 of November, and the scene was the small store that Doris had on the south end of the market in this tourist municipality.

Violated by two

According to the accusation, Stanley Volz arrived at the place in company from the involved others, and being inside they transferred to Doris Ivania to a room, where they tied her feet and hands and placed a rag in her mouth.

Soon, they undressed her and the foreigner vaginally raped her, and Julio did the same supposedly, but the Office of the public prosecutor is awaiting the biological results to determine for sure who participated in the rape.

All indications are that while the rape was perpetrated, Doris Ivania died slowly by asphyxiation, and when they found out she was dead victimizers dressed her and covered her body with sheets.

The suspects left the store taking men’s clothes, to make people think that it was a robbery, but the Police managed to put “the pieces” of the crime and with the suspects, and in the case of Nelson and Julio, both confessed and admitted to the participation of the foreigner, who had jeopardized himself by paying 5 thousand dollars to them both for their participation.

Grandmother calls for reflection

For doña Jacinta Lanzas, grandmother of Doris Ivania, this fact must serve as a reminder to many young people who for want of gifts first accept and then maintain love affairs with foreigners, mainly because this harbor city, as well as the colonial city of Granada, is frequented often by people of many countries who stay to live here permanently or temporarily.

“With these people much caution should be taken, because nothing of them is known, nothing of their past, and in this case I always had a feeling of something bad, he never felt good to me (Stanley Volz), perhaps it was the grandmother blood, that gave me this feeling”, commented the old one.

Gabriela Sobalvarro, 26, considered one of the closest friends of Doris Ivania, also agreed that the young people of San Juan del Sur must take great care when accepting a relationship with foreigners, “and this tragedy must serve as a reminder”, she explained.

Also, she indicated that Doris Ivania was a very friendly young person, and she stated she [Doris] commented to her that after culminating her university studies she would study estilismo, [?] because she wanted to dedicate herself to that work and her store. At the present time the victim was in last year’s contest of Administration of Companies in the Upoli-Rivas.

According to Gabriela, her friend met Stanley Volz when she worked at the restaurant “Roca Mar”. “There they met because Stanley Volz worked for the good company `Century 21´, that was in front of the restaurant, and that was how they initiated this relation”

Family and friend knew of the harassment

According to relatives of Doris Ivania, the relationship existed for mre than a year but they detailed that in these last days the things apparently did not go well, “because he watched over her too much and he harassed her, came to the house after midnight and took her by force, and apparently the relationship was losing interest for her”, expressed Elena Alvarado Lanzas, aunt of the assassinated young person.

The unbearable jealousy of Stanley Volz also was known to Gabriela, since she commented to El Nuevo Diario that Doris Ivania told her of this. Also, the decedent recently revealed to her that the young Armando Llanes, 20, was enamored with her and had invited her to a hotel that his father owned in San Juan River, where he is from, and this apparently finished driving the Mexican-gringo crazy.

However, it’s strange that Llanes also was accused by the Office of the public prosecutor, although the his relatives indicate that he does not even know the foreigner and on the day of the crime was not in San Juan del Sur.

He attended funeral

The day of the candle [funeral], Stanley Volz appeared to mourn his lover, and according to Doña Jacinta, stayed for minutes upon the coffin, crying, and at that moment she knew that he was the assassin, although the rest of the family still wanted to wait for the police investigations.

Stanley Volz also traveled to the cemetery of San Juan del Sur to part with his beloved, but once the funeral ended he was arrested by the Police when he left the cemetery, and as a result of the investigations he was formally charged with rape and murder.

It must be noted that Doris Ivania was the second of five children of Mrs. Mercedes Alvarado, who now watches the progress the Police and the Office of the public prosecutor are making, since she, like the rest of her family, she wants the Mexican-gringo and his pals punished, and she is waiting for what they will do.

In this sense the next step is the initial hearing that will be made this next Wednesday in the Court of Penal District of Hearings of Rivas. There it will be determined if sufficient evidence exists to send to the defendants to trial.
For added hysteria and heightened public condemnation, the article above was headed by this grisly crime scene photo:



Additional information on the Nifonging of Eric Volz:

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