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Good morning. Yesterday a video surfaced from a Myanmar human rights group. It showed evidence of torture and mass killings in July. These followed the military takeover in the country in February. The descriptions by villagers were graphic. I was grateful the actual footage had blanked out the gruesome evidence itself.

Some might call Myanmar a society far away of which many know nothing. But there’s a consensus of what citizens in the West hope for from such a country. Democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law are aspirations for all people everywhere. When leaders are committed to such values, those agitating can focus on where a government falls short of its own standards. But what do you do if a regime doesn’t flinch when confronted with evidence that it’s tortured and murdered its own civilians? How d’you avoid a powerless wringing of hands from afar?

The First Letter of John, often read at the Christmas season, begins with these words: ‘We declare to you what… we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands.’ The letter is contradicting those who maintain that convictions about Jesus are fantasies and wish-fulfilments. John asserts instead that Christian faith is based on things that have been heard, seen and touched. The faith of the New Testament is based on testimony: testimony of those who were actually there, who held real conversations, touched a genuine person, and wrote their experiences down. Or, in today’s language, made a video.

I salute the courage and integrity of those journalists who produced the horrifying report about Myanmar. Because the hope is that one day the generals who control the country will be held to account. If so, it’s precisely videos like this that will provide compelling evidence against them. When you’re facing overwhelming odds, there isn’t ‘nothing you can do.’ Like John, you can carefully compile testimony, keep detailed records, and communicate with supporters. That way, as external and internal pressure grows, the perpetrators of terrible crimes can be brought to face the truth. Perhaps only if leaders fear such a day in the future will they limit their misuse of power in the present. Sometimes you best deter an oppressor by saying, ‘I’m watching you.’

Testimony is what leads people to believe. Testimony is what journalism is all about. Testimony is sometimes the only limit on torturers and murderers. So long as you can tell your story, and enable others to tell theirs, there’s always something you can do.

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