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amnesty |
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amnesty (ăm`nəstē), in law, exemption from prosecution for criminal action. It signifies forgiveness and the forgetting of past actions. Amnesties are usually extended to a group of persons during a period of prolonged disorder or insurrection. The criminals are offered a promise of immunity from prosecution if they will abandon their unlawful activities. After a revolution or civil war the victorious side will often extend amnesty to the losers; e.g., the United States granted a qualified amnesty to the Confederate forces after the Civil War. An amnesty is distinguished from a pardon pardon, in law, exemption from punishment for a criminal conviction granted by the grace of the executive of a government. A general pardon to a class of persons guilty of the same offense (e.g., insurrection) is an amnesty . ..... Click the link for more information. , which is an act of forgiveness after the criminal has already been convicted. amnestyIn criminal law, a sovereign act of oblivion or forgetfulness (from Greek amnestia, “forgetfulness”) granted by a government, especially to a group of persons who are guilty of (usually political) crimes in the past. It is often conditional upon the group's return to obedience and duty within a prescribed period. See also pardon. amnesty Law a pardon granted by the Crown or Executive and effected by statute How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | ||
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| In 2005, the Zapatero
government presented its willingness to act alone in amnestying hundreds
of thousands of immigrants as evidence of a bold and, above all,
generous worldview. Despite, the release from the camps and amnestying of the remains of
the Orthodox priesthood, the Khrushchev thaw, paradoxically, brought
renewed vigor to atheistic tendencies. |
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