Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry has expressed that the release of George Speight, the leader of the 2000 coup, has caused widespread concern across the country. In a statement, the Fiji Labour Party leader highlighted that Indo-Fijians were primary targets of the violence and chaos orchestrated by Speight and his followers.
Chaudhry noted that numerous innocent families in rural areas have been traumatized, forced from their homes and farms, and suffered from months of terror and violence. He recounted that members of his government were held hostage in Parliament at gunpoint for 56 days, enduring constant threats, humiliation, and both physical and mental torture by rebel soldiers.
“Who will ensure justice for the innocent victims of Speight’s actions? Any initiative to release those guilty of treason and severe crimes against humanity should first be accompanied by efforts to provide justice and reconciliation for the innocent victims affected by their actions,” Chaudhry stated.
He emphasized that treason is a grave offense that carries a mandatory life sentence and expressed disappointment regarding Speight’s release before a Truth and Reconciliation process, arguing it has rekindled the outrage from the events of 2000 without fostering the necessary healing.
“This has eroded the nation’s sense of justice and could have lasting effects on national unity and public trust in the current government,” he warned.
Chaudhry also noted that the release was not unexpected, as it was hinted at during an election campaign promise made by the current Prime Minister shortly before the 2022 general elections. He suggested that, given the government’s actions since taking office, it was inevitable that Speight would be released after the earlier jailbreaks of his co-conspirators Joe Nata and Timoci Silatolu just six months prior.
Now that Speight is free, Chaudhry hopes he will disclose the truth surrounding the 2000 coup, mentioning that Speight has claimed from the outset that he was not the true leader or instigator of the coup.
“Indeed, at the time of his sentencing in February 2002, he indicated to the media that ‘if the Police were honest with even the shoddy evidence on the table at the moment his case was called, he would be in very distinguished company on Nukulau not only in numbers but in names as well’,” Chaudhry recalled.
“If George Speight is genuinely remorseful for the violence and destruction his reckless actions caused the nation, the least he can do in atonement is to reveal the truth about 2000,” concluded the former Prime Minister.