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Washington, D.C., May 26, 2025 — George Bachiashvili faces an immediate risk of torture after his forcible return to Georgia on May 26, 2025. Mr. Bachiashvili’s international legal team will pursue all available legal avenues to hold Georgia accountable for its unlawful conduct in Mr. Bachiashvili’s case, to challenge the ongoing perversion of justice in Georgia and to seek redress for the arbitrary detention and mistreatment of Mr. Bachiashvili.

According to Robert Amsterdam, “I denounce in the strongest possible terms the ongoing instrumentalization of domestic and international law and the abuse of mechanisms of international legal cooperation in Georgia’s relentless efforts to jail my client for speaking truth to power.”

Mr. Bachiashvili has been the target of an intensifying campaign of political persecution orchestrated by Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s de facto ruler. Ongoing criminal proceedings in Georgia against Mr. Bachiashvili, including nonsensical and time-barred charges stemming from legitimate business activities over a decade ago, reflect the systemic use of the judiciary as a tool of political control. Mr. Bachiashvili’s forced return to Georgia today places him at immediate risk of arbitrary detention, coercive interrogation, and abusive mistreatment.

The danger is real. The UN Committee Against Torture has cited “numerous and consistent allegations” of torture by Georgian law enforcement. The European Court of Human Rights has issued repeated rulings against Georgia for violations of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. And the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), in its 2018 public report, warned of persistent patterns of beatings, coercive questioning, and inadequate safeguards during detention in Georgia. These concerns are particularly acute in politically sensitive cases like Mr. Bachiashvili’s, where the independence of the judiciary is wholly compromised.

The legal proceedings against Mr. Bachiashvili in Georgia have themselves been a violation of basic standards of due process. They are part of a broader pattern in which politically connected prosecutors and judges are used to silence perceived opponents of the regime and dismantle independent centers of influence.

The international community will hold Georgia accountable for all violations of the rights of Mr. Bachiashvili. Georgia must adhere to its obligations to ensure judicial independence and to protect the fundamental rights of Mr. Bachiashvili and others facing politically motivated persecution.

More information is available on www.bidzinaslaw.com.

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In our latest episode we speak with the author and academic Frank Gerits, whose most recent work explores the history of the intense ideological battle which took place in the 1950s and 1960s for African hearts and minds. His book, The Ideological Scramble for Africa, explores how this competition wasn’t just between Cold War superpowers, but among African leaders themselves who were projecting competing visions of what African modernity should look like.

In this conversation with Robert Amsterdam, Dr. Gerits gives an informed portrait of key figures such as Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, whose revolutionary call for immediate continental unity challenged both colonial powers and fellow African leaders. While leaders like Senegal’s Senghor favored maintaining ties with Europe and others promoted regional federations, Nkrumah demanded complete independence and a “Monroe Doctrine for Africa” that would keep the continent out of global power struggles entirely.

Gerits discussess his views on the fascinating psychological dimension of decolonization, showing how Western powers promoted “modernization” programs designed to psychologically transform Africans, while leaders like Nkrumah and intellectuals like Frantz Fanon fought to reclaim African cultural identity. The louder Africans demanded independence, the more Western powers interpreted this as evidence they needed more assistance—a dynamic that continues today.

Be sure to explore our library of past podcast episodes, which include more than a dozen recent books on Africa.

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Amsterdam & Partners LLP denounces the climate of fear that has been created by Spain’s Hacienda, presenting extensive documentation in their findings of alleged misconduct

MADRID, May 6, 2025 — Amsterdam & Partners LLP warned the Spanish government today to immediately address alleged abuses by its tax authority against both foreign residents and citizens as documented in an initial report published in Madrid today.

The international law firm, led by founder Robert Amsterdam, held a press conference today to launch the white paper “Hacienda vs. The People” at the Madrid Press Association (La Asociación de la Prensa de Madrid – APM), accusing the Spanish Tax Authority (STA) of systematically targeting foreigners who relocated under the country’s “Beckham Law” tax incentive program.

“This white paper accuses the Spanish Tax Authority of systemic violations of rule of law demonstrated by their activities with respect to the Beckham Law tax incentive program. This has created an intimidating climate of fear which has no place in a democratic country. The testimonies we have collected have been nothing short of shocking,” said Robert Amsterdam. “We have obtained testimonies from individuals who have seen their rights violated and lives destroyed by a tax authority which acts with impunity.

The report publishes findings that tax inspectors have “turned lives upside down” by launching retrospective investigations against foreigners years after they received official certification under the Impatriate Law, which offers both tax certainty and a favorable tax treatment to attract global talent.

According to the investigation, victims typically face unexpected tax demands with substantial penalties and are pressured to pay immediately or accept settlements. The firm alleges that inspectors receive financial incentives through a €2 billion bonus scheme over 10 years that rewards collection of additional taxes.

“Our white paper documents shocking abuses of state power,” said Christopher Wales, a British tax expert and co-author of the white paper. “Our investigation has uncovered systemic use of excessive audit practices involving false and nonexistent claims. A few victims have been successful in appealing these false claims, but it takes years, and justice comes far too late.”

The Impatriate Law, introduced in 2003 and nicknamed after footballer David Beckham, allows qualifying foreigners to pay tax only on Spanish income at a flat 24 percent rate rather than Spain’s progressive tax structure, while exempting overseas income.

The report documents three case studies:

• One resident received certification under the Beckham Law but was later told years later that she never qualified. After a year-long investigation during which the STA claimed her employment was a sham, she faced threats of criminal charges. The stress led to hospitalization before she eventually paid the demanded settlement.
• One Swedish entrepreneur interviewed by the firm had moved to Spain to expand his business, two years after relocating sold a minority holding in a German company he had founded and previously worked for. Despite having proper certification and filing all required returns, the STA launched an investigation, claiming his Spanish company was a sham and threatening criminal prosecution. Traumatized, he left Spain but continues to face STA demands.
• Another, a British financial services executive temporarily transferred to Spain after Brexit, returned to London when requested by his employer. A year later, the STA began investigating his Spanish residency period, demanding extensive international financial information despite refusing to specify what they were seeking.

During the Madrid press conference, Amsterdam & Partners LLP announced that the firm is preparing cases in a number of jurisdictions, including Spain, the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg as well as raising these issues in an upcoming filing with the European Commission. The white paper calls for a new, fully independent review of the practices of the Spanish Tax Authority among other recommended reforms.

The law firm has published full page advertisements to warn of these deceptive practices, which appear to be a deliberate tax trap, in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Irish Times, El Economista, and several Swiss newspapers, with many more to come.

To download a copy of “Hacienda vs. The People” please visit www.spanishtaxpickpockets.com.

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Following an early Spring hiatus, we’re pleased to bring the Departures podcast back with a very special guest, the Canadian author and Adjunct Fellow at the Manhattan Institute Eric Kaufmann.

Eric joins Robert Amsterdam  to discuss his interesting new book “Taboo: How Making Race Sacred Produced a Cultural Revolution.” Kaufmann argues that the anti-racism taboo established in the mid-1960s became the “Big Bang of our moral universe,” giving immense power to those who wield it.

The conversation explores how progressive moral foundations focused solely on equality and care have created policy failures, how expanding definitions of racism have failed to protect minorities but instead serve to silence debate, and why self-censorship today exceeds that of the McCarthy era.

Kaufmann’s work examines the implications of these cultural shifts on institutions, free speech, and political discourse while offering thoughts on potential solutions, including recent American political developments.

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Issues of religious freedom, in theory, should not be controversial or disputed – there is a general consensus among public opinion that all peoples should have the right to worship according to their beliefs. And yet, it seems that we are going backwards on this basic right, with governments and political parties all around the world seeking to weaponize divides among faith communities to their partisan advantages and dubious agendas.

This week on Departures we are very privileged to have the special guest Robert Destro, law professor at the Columbus School of Law of Catholic University, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at State Department from 2019-2021.

Destro discusses with host Robert Amsterdam many of the global challenges he faced in his official role in the previous administration, from China to the Middle East, as well as the Ukrainian government’s campaign of persecution against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. (Disclosure: Robert Amsterdam is an international lawyer representing the UOC).

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The imposition of economic sanctions has become Washington’s preferred method of expressing disapproval over the conduct of other states. But how effective are sanctions in changing behavior or achieving desired outcomes?

This week on Departures with Robert Amsterdam, we are pleased to feature the brilliant former diplomat Vali Nasr, the Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies and International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. Professor Nasr is a co-author, along with Narges Vajoghli, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, and Ali Velez, of the book “How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare.”

In this insightful conversation, Nasr explores why Iran serves as a pivotal case study for understanding the role of sanctions in foreign policy, their limitations, and why they often fail to deliver the intended results. He also shares his expert perspectives on several critical geopolitical developments, including Israel’s Gaza offensive, the fall of the Assad regime, and the internal dynamics within the Islamic Republic.

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There’s an old Soviet joke that goes something like “the future is certain; it’s the past that is unpredictable” which continues to have an eerie resonance today, as revisionism seems to be on a constant assault against past events which are challenging or complex for some people to accept based on modern social mores and values.

In his new book, “The War Against the Past: Why The West Must Fight For Its History,” the renowned sociologist Frank Furedi takes aim at those commiting these acts of cultural vandalism and denounces, in quite strong terms, the damage and disservice they are doing to our society by projecting these modern sensibilities upon the historical record.

In this conversation with Robert Amsterdam, Furedi expands on his thesis and delves into some of the examples of victimhood and “grievance entrepreneurs” surrounding the twisting of narratives from events more than two centuries ago. When the past is rendered toxic, Furedi argues, we begin to live in an inhumane society, one where time is divided into a bad past and a rightly engineered future, and which splits people into shamefaced identities and victim identities. The author makes a call to arms to fight back, to celebrate heroes, to stop apologizing, and to embrace history, warts and all.

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Robert Amsterdam has published an opinion article in Spears examining the deceptive tax practices by the Spanish revenue authority which attracts foreign earners to relocate and then assaults them with waves of unfair audits and massive erroneous tax claims. Below an excerpt:

Many families embraced Spain’s offer, but for many of these individuals, la buena vida has turned into a nightmare. Spanish authorities have weaponised the Beckham Law, transforming it into a tool to target foreign income earners disproportionately. The regulatory changes, combined with a wave of ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ audits, come only after people have laid down roots and integrated into communities. Many cannot just pack up and leave on a moment’s notice.

Simultaneously, Spain has increased audits and penalties, portraying expats as exploiting local systems. In 2022 its government altered its wealth tax regime so that non-residents who owned property in Spain through a company became subject to the levy. The language of the law is now so general that there are concerns it could also affect non-residents’ holdings in property investment funds too.

This shift in the authorities’ stance threatens Spain’s ability to attract global talent and capital. In 2023, eligibility criteria of the Beckham Law were updated to allow certain self-employed people and digital nomads to work under the scheme. The intent was to attract start-up talent and investment, but this broadening of eligibility was counter-balanced by increasing numbers of audits and investigations of the pre-2022 foreign residents, a small minority of whom were playing fast and loose with the scheme. Policies once designed to promote entrepreneurship and innovation now come with heavier compliance burdens. When a senior executive is targeted for an audit, he or she must spend time and money on legal representation, tax planning professionals, and a series of other professional services despite, in the majority of cases, having done nothing wrong.

At the heart of this crisis lies a troubling incentive system. Spanish tax auditors are rewarded with a cut of the sums they recover, whether through court judgments or settlements. This profit motive has led to aggressive audits and inflated assessments of the wealth of high-profile individuals.

Read the full article on Spears here.

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