American Cleared of Nicaragua Murder Fears He Is a Political Pawn

A U.S. citizen who 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.

Eric Volz -- a 29-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., who has since returned to the United States -- fears that he is being pulled into the middle of a political showdown between the Obama administration and the Nicaraguan government.

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 told FOXNews.com. "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 told FOXNews.com.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.