Praise for To Save the Nation

“Forced disappearance is not only a serious human rights violation but also an international crime, punishable as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Unfortunately, this crime is notoriously under-prosecuted and many forced disappearances remain unpunished.

“Bob Kass’ novel is a great legal page-turner but also a courageous book, bringing out horrendous crimes from a recent past, which were justified in the eyes of their perpetrators as something they had to do ‘for the nation.’ In drawing attention to crimes of this nature and the political intricacies behind them, he contributes to public awareness as part of a much needed international fight against impunity.”

—Christine Van den Wyngaert, former Judge at the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice, currently Judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers

“My father was one of the ‘disappeared’ in Argentina’s Dirty War of the 70s. My mother fled the country with me and my sister and we eventually found asylum in Switzerland. Kass’ book, To Save the Nation, is a reminder of what happened back then. Unfortunately, ‘enforced disappearances’ continue in nearly 100 countries today. This book in a contribution to the conversation about how far a country should go in violating human rights when its leaders feel the nation is under a threat from dissidents.”

—Antonio Hodgers, Swiss politician, Conseiller d’Etat of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. As a member of the Swiss Parliament, Mr. Hodgers voted for the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

“The respect of fundamental rights, individual liberties and the rule of law is the guarantee for every human being to be protected against arbitrary action of a State. Enforced disappearances are among the worst of the illegal actions a State allows itself to take against its own citizens, supposedly in order to protect the State in question, or any alleged greater value.

“Today, in our democratic countries, in the name of the fight against terrorism, States are making their populations accept restrictions on their liberties, invoking the need for greater security. Those breaches in our fundamental liberties are not to be taken lightly. We citizens deserve liberty as much as security, within a democratic state fully applying the rule of law. Any step that restrains our human rights is a dangerous step toward the risk of being submitted to the arbitrary power of the State, towards one of the most terrifying illegal actions: enforced disappearances.

“Bob Kass’ book reminds us of those terrible crimes committed by the power of a State against its own population. Let us not forget the danger of any unregulated power within a State. Let us also be fully aware of those dangers in order to be able to recognize and challenge any breach that threatens the rule of law, our rights and our liberties.”

—Olivia Venet, Belgian Attorney, specialized in criminal law, criminal procedure, international criminal law, international humanitarian law and human rights. President of the Belgian Human Rights League.

“In Kass’ debut thriller, a lawyer takes a case that pulls him into the dark world of organized crime and the grim legacy of a past Argentinian conflict.*** A feast of political intrigue and an astute exploration of Argentina’s nefarious past.”

—Kirkus Reviews