Law-Amnesty info

Amnesty is forgiveness by a government for crimes against it. Amnesty restores wrongdoers to the legal status they had before committing the crimes. The term comes from the Greek word amnestia, which means a forgetting.

Throughout history, governments have granted amnesty to restore unity after a war or an internal uprising. One of the earliest recorded amnesties took place in 403 B.C., when the people of the ancient Greek city of Athens overthrew their rulers, the Thirty Tyrants, and established a democracy . The new leader, Thrasybulus, declared amnesty for all citizens except the Thirty Tyrants and a few other officials.

Twelve years after the English Civil War (1642-1648), Charles II proclaimed a general amnesty to all who had attempted to overthrow the monarchy. Only those who had taken part in the execution of his father, Charles I, were excluded.

In Great Britain, all those who had participated in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 were given an amnesty in 1749. . During the American Revolution, in 1778, Britain offered an amnesty to members of the colonial forces who would lay down their arms.

In the 1900's, many amnesties have involved people who refused to serve in the armed forces during a time of war. During World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), many conscientious objectors refused to join the armed forces and were imprisoned. At the end of World War I, nearly 2,000 Americans were in prison for their protests against U.S. involvement in the war. During the 1920's, presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge pardoned many individuals on a case-by-case basis. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter granted a pardon to nearly everyone who had violated conscription laws during the Vietnam War (1964-1973).

Amnesties may coincide with a change of government or a new leader. In the early 1990's, after the fall of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, some countries granted amnesties to former Communist officials. For example, the democratic government in the former Czechoslovakia decided not to pursue Communist officials for abuses of power committed during the 40 years of Communist rule. In February 1994, the Russian parliament granted an amnesty to the parliamentarians who had tried to mount a coup against President Boris Yeltsin in October 1993. The president was unable to stop an amnesty being granted.

Amnesties often involve the release of political prisoners when a new leader comes to power. For example, when Cory Aquino became president of the Philippines in 1986, many political opponents of former President Marcos were freed or returned from exile.

In Israel, Palestinians have benefited from amnesties, which formed part of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Amnesties do not fit easily into sharia (traditional Islamic law). For example, when Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979, many of the previous government's officials were tried and executed.

Amnesties may also be granted to criminals. France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are some of the countries that make a practice of granting an amnesty to criminals. Criminal records of offenders who have not committed further crimes are destroyed after 10 or 20 years. In Italy, criminal amnesties are sometimes given to celebrate the inauguration of a new president or simply to empty crowded prisons.