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.
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