Ex-Fiji Coup Leader Speight Pardoned, Freed

Fijian former coup leader George Speight was granted a presidential pardon and freed on Thursday, after spending 24 years in jail on treason charges. Fiji Corrections Service said that the businessman-turned-putschist was formally granted a pardon along with six others. He was granted clemency on the recommendation of a "Mercy Commission" which was set up to deal with politically sensitive cases. Speight, a bankrupt businessman, led a racially tinged 2000 coup that held prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry and lawmakers hostage for 56 days. Speight claimed to be a champion of...