2000 Coup Leader George Speight and Five Others Granted Presidential Pardon

George Speight, arrested for treason following the 2000 Fijian coup, has been granted a presidential pardon along with five other inmates, including Shane Stevens. The Mercy Commission reviewed clemency petitions from Speight, Stevens, Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, Adi Liviana Radininausori, and John Miller. The President of Fiji granted their pardons, though James Sanjesh Goundar had passed away before this could be enacted.

Speight, who led the coup and held Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and 35 MPs hostage for 56 days, was initially sentenced to death in 2002, but it was commuted to life imprisonment. He was transferred to Naboro Maximum Security Prison in 2006, where he remained until his pardon.

Shane Stevens, who led the November 2000 mutiny at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks, was also granted a pardon after being sentenced to prison for his role in the violence.

The pardons have sparked mixed reactions in Fiji. Some see them as steps toward reconciliation, while others are concerned about the implications given the violence involved. The pardons mark the end of a significant chapter in Fiji’s political history.