Yesterday, Cambodian union leader Chhim Sithar was sentenced to two years in prison. Other members of her union were sentenced to between one to one and a half years. Sithar is the President of the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees (LRSU), and has been leading a strike of NagaWorld casino workers for the past 18 months.
She was arrested in November last year returning home from the ITUC congress in Melbourne.
Chhim Sithar at a rally in Cambodia.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for her release in a statement.
“We call upon the Cambodian authorities to immediately quash the convictions and unconditionally release Chhim Sithar and her fellow union members who have been detained solely for their defense of workers’ rights.
“The Australian union movement condemns the verdict against Chhim Sithar and her fellow unionists. This is a clear case of the Cambodian government waging an anti-union campaign against Chhim Sithar and her union, the LRSU,” said ACTU President Michele O’Neil. “We stand in solidarity with Chhim Sithar and the LRSU and call on the Cambodian government to release her immediately, stop persecuting trade unionists and respect workers’ rights to freedom of association.”
TAKE ACTION!
Sign the petition to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to immediately drop the charges and free Chhim Sithar and her fellow unionists, and stop the attacks on trade unions.