George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, has received a Presidential Pardon from the Mercy Commission. During their meeting yesterday, the Commission reviewed mercy petitions from Speight and six other current prisoners, including Shane Stevens, who led Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW). Speight had been serving a life sentence for treason, while Stevens was serving a life sentence for mutiny.
The other individuals included in the review were Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori, and John Miller. Following the discussions, the Commission made recommendations for mercy, which were accepted by His Excellency, the President of Fiji, acting under Section 119(5) of the Constitution. Pardons were officially granted yesterday, leading to the release of these individuals from custody today.
Regrettably, James Sanjesh Goundar, who died on September 6 at the Minimum Corrections Center, was unable to benefit from the pardon, as it arrived too late for him.