Robert Amsterdam
{{Short description|Canadian lawyer}}
Robert "Bob" Ross Amsterdam (born 9 January 1956 in New York City, New York, United States) is an American-Canadian international lawyer, specialising in political cases and human rights. He is the founding partner of [https://amsterdamandpartners.com/ Amsterdam & Partners LLP], based in Washington, D.C., and London.{{cite news |last=John |first=Margaret |date=8 June 2012 |title=Amnesty deplores deportation of lawyer Robert Amsterdam from Singapore |url=https://www.zambianwatchdog.com/amnesty-deplores-deportation-of-lawyer-robert-amsterdam-from-singapore/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205004952/https://www.zambianwatchdog.com/amnesty-deplores-deportation-of-lawyer-robert-amsterdam-from-singapore/ |archive-date=5 December 2014 |access-date=28 November 2014 |newspaper=Zambian Watchdog}}{{cite web |date=15 September 2014 |title=Bob Amsterdam joins Kim Dotcom, Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange and Edward Snowden |url=http://www.amsterdamandpartners.com/news/bob-amsterdam-joins-kim-dotcom-glenn-greenwald-julian-assange-and-edward-snowden/ |access-date=28 November 2014 |publisher=Amsterdam & Partners}}{{cite web |title=Robert Amsterdam |url=http://www.amsterdamandpartners.com/our-people/robert-amsterdam/ |access-date=28 November 2014 |publisher=Amsterdam & Partners |quote=According to the former British Ambassador to Russia, Andrew Wood, "The word that best describes Bob is courage, both moral and actual. He raises questions that are not always welcome, and that is often the proper business of a lawyer."}}{{cite web |date=20 April 2012 |title=Bob Amsterdam Archives - Robert Amsterdam Zambia |url=http://robertamsterdam.com/zambia/tag/bob-amsterdam/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710090708/http://robertamsterdam.com/zambia/tag/bob-amsterdam/ |archive-date=10 July 2014 |access-date=28 November 2014 |website=Robertamsterdam.com}}
Early life
Amsterdam was born on 9 January 1956 in New York City to a Jewish family, before moving to Canada, where he became a dual US-Canadian citizen. Presently, he resides in London, United Kingdom.
Legal career
Some of Amsterdam's most notable cases have included his earlier work in the Global South. For instance, he won international litigation on behalf of the Four Seasons Hotel and Resort Group in Venezuela. He also worked the well known Gutierrez case in Guatemala, which involved representing the victims of one of the country's largest alleged tax fraud and money laundering schemes.{{cite web|url=http://openjurist.org/320/f3d/1205|title=320 F3d 1205 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Bv v. Consorcio Barr Sa L - OpenJurist|publisher=Openjurist.org|access-date=28 November 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/01/AR2005120101287.html|title=Marcela Sanchez - Well-Heeled Crooks Feel the Heat in Miami|work=Washingtonpost.com|access-date=28 November 2014}} Amsterdam would go on to represent political prisoners, democracy advocates and other leaders such as Eligio Cedeño in Venezuela, Nigeria's Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai and Singapore's Dr. Chee Soon Juan, among others.{{cite web|url=http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/1339-robert-amsterdam-acts-for-chee-soon-juan|title=Robert Amsterdam acts for Chee Soon Juan|date=28 October 2008|publisher=Singapore Democrats|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307224438/http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/1339-robert-amsterdam-acts-for-chee-soon-juan|archive-date=7 March 2012|access-date=28 November 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2009/03/robert_amsterdam_to_represent_nigerian_politician_nasir_el-rufai.htm|title=Robert Amsterdam to Represent Nigerian Politician Nasir El-Rufai|publisher=Robertamsterdam.com|access-date=28 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402140710/http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2009/03/robert_amsterdam_to_represent_nigerian_politician_nasir_el-rufai.htm|archive-date=2 April 2009}}
In 2003, Amsterdam was retained to defend Yukos CEO and Russia's wealthiest man Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was also described as Russian President Vladimir Putin's primary opponent.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/robert-amsterdam |title=Robert Amsterdam |work=The Guardian |date= |access-date=16 August 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230816212910/https://www.theguardian.com/profile/robert-amsterdam}}{{cite web |url=https://amsterdamandpartners.com/engagements/russia/ |title=Russia |work=Amsterdam & Partners LLC |date= |access-date=16 August 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230816212810/https://amsterdamandpartners.com/engagements/russia/}}{{cite news |last=Gatton |first=Adrian |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/8/17/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-man-who-helped-to-create-the-oligarchs |title=The rise and fall of the oligarch-maker: How one mysterious financier came to sit at the top table of oligarchs and power. |work=Al Jazeera |date=17 August 2021 |access-date=16 August 2023 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211128063949/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/8/17/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-man-who-helped-to-create-the-oligarchs}}{{cite news |last=Smolar |first=Piotr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2009/01/07/robert-amsterdam-avocat-sans-barreaux_1138810_3214.html |title=Robert Amsterdam, avocat sans barreaux: L'avocat d'affaires canadien défend, depuis 2003, l'ancien président du groupe pétrolier russe Ioukos, Mikhaïl Khodorkovski. |trans-title=Robert Amsterdam, lawyer without bars: The Canadian business lawyer has defended, since 2003, the former president of the Russian oil group Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. |language=fr |work=Le Monde |date=7 January 2009 |access-date=16 August 2023 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230816220827/https://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2009/01/07/robert-amsterdam-avocat-sans-barreaux_1138810_3214.html}} In 2005, Khodorkovsky was sentenced to prison. On the night of the verdict, Amsterdam was detained by plainclothes security agents in the middle of the night at his hotel room.{{cite news|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/Article/1061767.html|title=Russia: RFE/RL Speaks With Expelled Khodorkovskii Lawyer|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=8 April 2008 |publisher=Rfer1.org|access-date=28 November 2014}} Amsterdam then engaged in a media campaign for the Yukos and Khodorkovsky cases, which included focusing on efforts to secure Khodorkovsky's release. He was ultimately released from prison in 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.cato.org/dailypodcast/podcast-archive.php?podcast_id=171|title=Khodorkovsky's Attorney Speaks Out|work=Cato Institute|access-date=28 November 2014}}
In May 2010, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra hired Amsterdam to serve as international lawyer and advisor to the defence counsel of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD, or the "Red Shirts").{{cite news|title=Thaksin's lawyer documents army abuse of Red Shirts|url=http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s2904640.htm|publisher=ABC Australia|access-date=28 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525220815/http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2010/s2904640.htm|archive-date=25 May 2010}} Speaking out publicly, Amsterdam "urged the international community not to tolerate the (new) government's violent crackdown on... peaceful protesters",{{cite news|date=25 May 2010|title=Thaksin's new legal muscle|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/178883/thaksin-new-legal-muscle|newspaper=Bangkok Post|access-date=28 November 2014}} and published a list of alleged human rights and international law violations committed during what he branded the "Bangkok massacres".{{cite news|last=Marshall|first=Andrew|author-link=Andrew MacGregor Marshall|date=22 July 2010|title=Thaksin strikes back|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/andrew-marshall/2010/07/22/thaksin-strikes-back|work=Reuters|access-date=28 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224032940/http://blogs.reuters.com/andrew-marshall/2010/07/22/thaksin-strikes-back|archive-date=24 December 2011|url-status=dead}} During the 2013–14 Thai political crisis, Amsterdam delivered a speech to a massive Red Shirt rally in Bangkok, leading to a spat with politician Suthep Thaugsuban, who was critical of Amsterdam. Amsterdam responded by stating that Suthep was leading a "Thai Taliban"{{cite web|date=7 April 2014|title=Response Statement: Suthep Leading a Thai Taliban|url=http://robertamsterdam.com/thailand/2014/04/07/suthep-leading-a-thai-taliban-says-lawyer-amsterdam/|website=Robert Amsterdam Thailand|quote='He is a bloody farang, why does he interfere in Thai politics?', Suthep said, repeatedly referring to Mr. Amsterdam as a 'bastard' for suggesting that individual members of anti-democracy network should face international sanctions.|access-date=16 April 2014}}
Amsterdam has been part of the legal team in the Megaupload legal case, representing Kim Dotcom, the internet entrepreneur who had worked with activists such as Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange and Edward Snowden.{{cite news|date=29 January 2013|title="Who's Afraid Of Kim Dotcom? – OpEd"|url=http://www.albanytribune.com/29012013-whos-afraid-of-kim-dotcom-oped/|newspaper=Albany Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207031119/http://www.albanytribune.com/29012013-whos-afraid-of-kim-dotcom-oped/|archive-date=7 February 2013}}
Amsterdam and his firm were also involved in efforts by the Turkish Government to sue the Gülen movement.[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-politics-lawsuit-idUSKBN0TS20E20151209 Foe of Turkish President Erdogan slapped with U.S. lawsuit], reuters.com, 9 Dec 2015.
Since 2023, Amsterdam has represented the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), along with various individuals related to it, in a fight against the Ukrainian Government over moves to prohibit the religion. While the government has cited the UOC's alleged ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, Amsterdam has denied those links and characterised the efforts as contrary to the freedom of religion and aimed at establishing an authoritarian state.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opf790y07Es |title=Exposing Ukraine's Secret Police and Mission to Exterminate Christianity |date=2024-04-22 |last=Tucker Carlson |access-date=2025-01-01 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://savetheuoc.com/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Save the Ukrainian Orthodox Church |language=en-US}}
Another recent case taken on by Amsterdam has been his representation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo over the use of Conflict minerals by Apple during the brutal Kivu conflict.{{Cite web |last=Shankar |first=Priyanka |title=Why has DRC filed criminal charges against Apple over 'conflict minerals'? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/20/why-has-drc-filed-criminal-charges-against-apple-over-conflict-minerals |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}
Amsterdam has been critical of economic sanctions, as well as financial and tax overegulation as currently practiced by the West.{{Cite web |last=Amsterdam |first=Robert |date=2024-07-11 |title=The West is sleepwalking through its own terminal decline |url=https://spearswms.com/wealth/column/west-sleepwalking-own-terminal-decline/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Spear's |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Amsterdam |first=Robert |date=2024-10-10 |title=Financial regulators have gone too far |url=https://spearswms.com/wealth/financial-regulators-have-gone-too-far/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Spear's |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Amsterdam |first=Robert |date=2024-12-11 |title=Beckham Law: Spain's bait-and-switch tax trap needs exposing |url=https://spearswms.com/wealth/column/spains-bait-and-switch-tax-trap-needs-exposing-beckham-law/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Spear's |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{url|http://robertamsterdam.com/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amsterdam, Robert}}
Category:American emigrants to Canada
Category:20th-century Canadian lawyers
Category:People from White Plains, New York
Category:Carleton University alumni