Is a pardon and amnesty issued by another country valid in the USA?

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Is a pardon and amnesty issued by another country valid in the USA?

On 12/18/81, the Italian president issued a decree providing amnesty and pardon for certain crimes. I received a letter in 1982 stating that I was covered by this decree.

Asked on January 2, 2011 under Criminal Law, South Dakota

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 13 years ago | Contributor

Another country can pardon you (or issue an amnesty) for crimes you were charged with, convicted of, or potentially liable for under THAT country's laws. However, another country cannot absolve you in any way under U.S. law--that's not their decision to make. So, for example, if you are pardoned of Italian crimes, you don't need to worry about being arrested in the U.S. for a violation of Italian law (and extradited, etc.), but on the other hand, if you also violated U.S. law, you could be arrested, convicted, imprisoned, etc. for your United States legal violations. So how much the amnesty and padon will help you depends on whether you also violated other nations' laws.


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