Timoci Silatolu and Jo Nata, convicted of treason,...

Timoci Silatolu and Jo Nata, convicted of treason, were sentenced to life imprisonment with heavy minimum terms to serve for their role in Fiji's 2000 coup. The sentences, described by High Court Justice Andrew Wilson as internationally without precedent, came after Parliament retrospectively scrapped the mandatory death sentences and issued new sentencing guidelines on June 16.
Former politician Silatolu was sentenced to life with a minimum of nine years.
Journalist Nata was given life with a minimum of seven years.
The two were convicted for their involvement in the May 19, 2000, coup led by George Speight that bought down the country's first Indian-led government, of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
They had first been charged with treason in August 2000 and in February 2002 Speight pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death.
The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment within hours. Nata and Silatolu pleaded not guilty and went to trial, which started June 4, 2003.