Photo/Illutration Managers of the Center for Civil Liberties react in Kyiv on Oct. 7. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to jailed Belarus rights activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties. (AP Photo)

In the ancient Chinese state of Qi, the record was set straight by brothers who worked as official recordkeepers.

When a senior statesman killed the state’s ruler, the eldest brother recorded the murder as it happened. He incurred the statesman’s ire and was put to death.

His two immediate younger brothers, who took over the duties, were also executed for recording the ruler’s death as “murder.”

But when a third younger brother did the same, the statesman relented and spared the man’s life.

What stands out from this historical narrative is not only the statesman’s viciousness, but the brothers’ determination to keep an accurate record.

From this year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipients, I sensed the same unshakable commitment to recording the truth and spreading it--even at the risk of putting their lives in peril.

Two of the laureates are from Russia and Belarus, referred to as “two dictatorships” by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The third is from Ukraine, where Russia is waging a war of aggression.

“They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power,” the committee noted, citing its reason for awarding the trio the prize.

The statement implies the difficulty of getting the truth out.

What records are they trying to preserve?

They include the history of the purge of citizens during the Soviet era and the abuse of political prisoners and others by those in authority.

It is imperative to document and convey to posterity what exactly has happened in the war Russia started against Ukraine.

Just like the statesman who murdered the ruler of Qi, dictators are prone to obliterate or whitewash their past evils.

The only way to incontrovertibly prove the testimonies of people who were oppressed and harmed is to record what happened. Their words will live on so long as records are kept.

It is an act of true honor to rise up and fight back again and again and record the truth over and over until the dictator gives up.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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