Robert Amsterdam interviewed on Charlie Rose Show

Although this video is long overdue (due to technical difficulties), I thought I would post Bob Amsterdam’s interview on the Charlie Rose Show, which originally aired October 27, 2006. Fast forward the video to 40:28 for the beginning of the interview. The transcript of the show is available for download here. Here is an excerpt from the interview:

CHARLIE ROSE: How much do you fear that he’ll die in prison? As someone once said, he’ll slip on a banana? ROBERT AMSTERDAM: It won’t be a banana. The man was stabbed four months ago. CHARLIE ROSE: By? ROBERT AMSTERDAM: By another inmate. CHARLIE ROSE: What do you know about that? ROBERT AMSTERDAM: Well, you know, there are many inferences that can be drawn. He is in danger. The fact that I’m here and talking to you is — every time we do anything that’s public, everything is a calculated risk. What they want is silence. That’s why he’s in Siberia. CHARLIE ROSE: Then why are you doing it? ROBERT AMSTERDAM: Because if in fact the lessons we learned from the refuseniks of 25 years ago is, if you stay silent, they win. So it’s a very difficult line, every day we have to deal with. CHARLIE ROSE: Sakharov and others. ROBERT AMSTERDAM: Yes, silence doesn’t work. If you read Sharansky’s book, if you look at the lessons of history, you realize that silence doesn`t work, and that impunity grows where silence exists.