George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, has received a Presidential Pardon from the Mercy Commission. During its recent meeting, the Commission reviewed mercy petitions from Speight and six other imprisoned individuals, including Shane Stevens, leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) group.
Speight was serving a life sentence for treason, while Stevens was serving a life sentence for mutiny. The other individuals who received pardons include Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori, and John Miller.
Following the Commission’s discussions, recommendations for clemency were made, and the President of Fiji approved pardons for all petitioners under Section 119(5) of the Constitution. These pardons were officially granted yesterday, leading to the immediate release of the individuals from custody today.
However, James Sanjesh Goundar, who passed away on September 6 at the Minimum Corrections Center, was not able to benefit from the pardon as it was too late for him.