Fears of a revolt led to a decision to commute George...

Fears of a revolt led to a decision to commute George Speight's sentence to life.
The decision by Fijian President Ratu Iloilo to commute coup leader George Speight's death sentence to life imprisonment was an attempt to avert what could have been another potentially violent crisis for Fiji.
The decision was widely seen as a measure to avoid upsetting Speight's supporters.
Speight was sentenced to death in the High Court just after noon, but by 4pm the Prerogative of Mercy Commission had recommended the sentence be commuted to life behind bars.
"We decided, after considering all relevant considerations, to advise the President to commute the death penalty," said Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale.
Among the considerations were the security of the nation, he said.
It was obvious when Speight staged his coup in 2000 that he commanded the loyalty of a large portion of Fiji's indigenous population. Speight gambled on civilian support being strong enough to sweep all before it and allow him to accomplish his objectives without large-scale military support.
Speight demanded that Indo-Fijians be banned from politics and that the 1997 Multiracial Constitution be overhauled to favour ethnic Fijians He appears to have been emboldened by his initial success in forcing the military commander, Commodore Frank Bainimarama to sign the Mauniku Accord, which guaranteed immunity from prosecution for acts carried out during the coup. However Speight and his supporters were arrested on July 27, 2001 and charged with treason.