Twenty-five years ago, Peter Gabriel helped found the WITNESS organization after seeing the effect that the videotape of the Los Angeles Police Department’s beating of Rodney King had on the country. In a new essay for Time magazine, the musician and activist reflects on the implications of video justice today and emphasizes how important it is to document human rights violations.

“The value of video footage lies not just in its existence, but in the inability to deny what is captured for posterity,” he writes. “Timely, accurate and impartial information is the most powerful force we have to protect the fundamental rights of all people. Now more than ever, there are more bystanders willing to step forward and speak truth to power. And, as ever, they need your help to do it.”

Read the full essay here.