amnesty
n. C / Un. a decision by a government to forgive people for a crime and not punish them. It is often used for groups of people who have broken political laws.
n. an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offences. Often involves a collective grant of immunity from prosecution for a specific class of individuals.
The government granted amnesty to all political prisoners.
The city announced a two-week amnesty for residents to return overdue library books without paying any fines.
Following the civil war, the new administration declared a general amnesty in an effort to promote national reconciliation and encourage former rebels to reintegrate into society.
Borrowed from Middle French amnestie (Modern French amnistie), a borrowing from Latin amnestia, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία (amnēstía).
Uncountable when referring to the general concept of forgiveness; countable when referring to a specific period or act of pardon.