George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, has received a Presidential Pardon from the Mercy Commission. During a meeting held yesterday, the Commission evaluated mercy petitions submitted by Speight and six other inmates, including Shane Stevens, the leader of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) group. Speight was serving a life sentence for treason, while Stevens was sentenced to life for mutiny.
The other individuals who received pardons are Sekina Vosavakatini, Nioni Tagici, James Sanjesh Goundar, Adi Livini Radininausori, and John Miller. After reviewing the cases, the Commission made recommendations for clemency, which were accepted by the President of Fiji, who acted under Section 119(5) of the Constitution to grant pardons to all petitioners. These pardons were formally issued yesterday, allowing the individuals to be released from custody today.
Unfortunately, James Sanjesh Goundar, who died on September 6 at the Minimum Corrections Center, did not benefit from the pardon in time.