the formal act of liberating someone a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment grant a pardon to (a group of people)
An amnesty is an official pardon granted to a group of prisoners by the state. Activists who were involved in crimes of violence will not automatically be granted amnesty. = pardon
An amnesty is a period of time during which people can admit to a crime or give up weapons without being punished. The government has announced an immediate amnesty for rebel fighters. In 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
an organization that supports human rights, especially people's right to express their beliefs without being punished. Its members write to governments to persuade them to set free people who are in prison because of their political or religious beliefs. International human-rights organization. It was founded in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a London lawyer who organized a letter-writing campaign calling for amnesty for "prisoners of conscience." AI seeks to inform the public about violations of human rights, especially abridgments of freedom of speech and religion and the imprisonment and torture of political dissidents. It actively seeks the release of political prisoners and support of their families when necessary. Its members and supporters are said to number one million people in some 140 countries. Its first director, Sean MacBride, won the 1974 Nobel Prize for Peace; AI itself won the award in 1977
[ 'am-n&-stE ] (noun.) 1580. From Latin amnestia, Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία ἀ- privative + μνήμη (remembrance, reminiscence): compare with French amnistie, earlier amnestie.