Add Category
A failed coup leader originally sentenced to death for treason has been released from a Fijian jail after receiving a presidential pardon.
George Speight, a well-known former Fijian businessman, led an armed takeover of Fiji's government in May 2000, holding the country's then-prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry and his government hostage for 56 days.
Speight was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death in 2002, but the sentence was downgraded to life in prison.
He and the leader of a military mutiny, Shane Stevens, were among seven individuals to receive pardons by President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere following a recommendation from Fiji's Mercy Commission.
A statement from the Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) said the pardons were formally granted on Wednesday with the prisoners released on Thursday.
One of those to receive a pardon died earlier this month.
"The Fiji Correction Service and the government remain committed to the principles of justice, rehabilitation, and the rule of law, and the Mercy Commission plays a vital role in ensuring that petitions for clemency are considered carefully, with due regard to the circumstances of each case," the statement said.
The Mercy Commission in a statement said the FCS had provided positive reports on Mr Speight's behaviour and recommended a pardon.
"Psychological and judicial assessments were also reviewed, with the FCS supporting his reintegration into society," it said.
"The commission has recommended that His Excellency the President grant mercy to Mr Speight, postponing the carrying out of his punishment for an indeterminate period, in recognition of his rehabilitation and the length of time he has served in prison."
Former Fiji prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry was held hostage for 56 days. (Supplied: Fiji Labour Party)
Speight and a group of Indigenous nationalists that included special forces soldiers sought to return political power to Indigenous Fijians.
The coup led to a further 21 months of political chaos and sporadic violence driven by ethnic tension between Indigenous iTaukei Fijians and Indo-Fijians.
Speight was arrested at a military checkpoint in July 2000.
He was elected to parliament while waiting for his treason trial, but was removed as he could not attend due to being in custody.
Stevens led a violent attempted takeover of the Queen Elizabeth military barracks in Suva in November 2000, several months after the end of the coup.
It left three soldiers and four mutineers dead.
Speight applied for a presidential pardon in May last year after serving 20 years of his life sentence.