Since 1945, more than 500 cases of amnesty in post-conflict transitions have been recorded; since the 1970’s, at least 14 states – including Spain, Mozambique, and Brazil – have given amnesty to regimes guilty of serious human-rights violations. In South Africa, amnesty was a key feature of the “truth and reconciliation” process that facilitated the peaceful transition from more than four decades of white-minority rule to democracy.
1945年以来，记录在案的后冲突过渡期大赦就有500多起；自1970年代以来，至少14个国家——包括西班牙、莫桑比克和巴西——对犯有严重侵犯人权罪行的当局实行了特赦。在南非，特赦是“真相和妥协”过程的关键要素。而这一过程又是南非从四十多年白人少数统治转向民主的关键。