The question central to this study was whether amnesties for human rights atrocities are lawful under international law. It has become clear that societies emerging from a period of violent repression are faced with a legacy of abuses and must meet diverging demands. In order to facilitate transition to peaceful society, perpetrators of past abuses are often granted amnesty. However, one has to be careful not to focus entirely on political considerations when contemplating possible means to come to terms with the past. While amnesty might be considered indispensable for successful transition to peaceful democratic society, it has to be determined in the first place whether granting amnesty to persons responsible for human rights atrocities would be lawful under international law. Although an express prohibition of amnesties for human rights atrocities does not exist under international law, the lawfulness of such amnesties has been assessed on the basis of an inquiry into the possible existence of a duty to prosecute human rights atrocities.