RA Press Statement on Russia’s Demonstrations

The attached statement is being circulated to media today: “The Kremlin Is Not the Only One Responsible for Repression,” says Robert Amsterdam

LONDON, April 16 – Following a multitudinous anti-government demonstration in central Moscow yesterday and the subsequent mass arrests of hundreds of protesters, international lawyer Robert Amsterdam issued the following statement: “The palpable fear in the streets of Moscow is not that of the demonstrators, but that of the autocrats clinging to power in the Kremlin,” Amsterdam said. “Those Western investors are again on notice that they are supporting an abjectly undemocratic regime. Let Lord Browne of BP, Paulo Scaroni of ENI, and Gerhard Schroeder of Nordstream be held accountable for their uncritical support of a government that freely beats its citizens before the eyes of the world.” “The Kremlin is not the only one responsible for the repression of this opposition march,” Amsterdam said. “It is time we all recognize that the Russian government will only do what it believes it can get away with, and right now our businesses and some political leaders are giving it a free pass toward despotism.” Robert Amsterdam is the founding partner of the Toronto- and London-based international law firm Amsterdam & Peroff. He maintains a blog at www.robertamsterdam.com.