Today the Phnom Penh Municipal Court ordered LRSU union leader Chhim Sithar to be sent to pre-trial detention in Correctional Centre 2 (CC2) prison, while union activist Sok Narith was ordered to be sent to Correctional Centre 1 (CC1) prison, and a third activist, Sok Kongkea, was ordered released on bail and placed under judicial supervision.

All three face charges of incitement under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code, the same charges faced by six other members of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) who were arrested on 31 December 2021. The other six detained unionists currently held in CC2 prison are Chhim Sokhorn, Kleang Soben, Sun Sreypich, Hai Sopheap, Ry Sovandy, Touch Sereymeas.

Sithar was violently arrested yesterday while trying to join hundreds of other LRSU members at a strike site near the NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh. 119 local groups have called for all 9 unionists immediate release and for the incitement charges to be dropped, and for the company and government to address workers’ demands peacefully.