A photograph of the injuries to a striker's face after she was pushed by authorities in Phnom Penh today. (Photo supplied by LRSU)

Several unionists from the Labour Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) were violently pushed to the ground by authorities as they attempted to walk to NagaWorld casino in central Phnom Penh to strike this afternoon.

About 80 strikers, most of whom were women, gathered this afternoon and were met by more than 100 police and mixed security forces near the corner of Samdach Sothearos Boulevard and Preah Sihanouk Boulevard nearby the casino complex. Strikers were violently pushed by security forces as they peacefully moved through barricades blocking the road. Security forces threw several strikers to the ground, with at least one man and one woman suffering cuts to their faces as a result.

Human rights monitors were instructed by authorities to move away from the gathering and stop taking photographs prior to the use of violence.

Members of LRSU have been regularly gathering since December 2021 to call for the reinstatement of unjustly fired unionists and fair severance for other dismissed workers.

Strikers have faced arrest, imprisonment, fines, violence, and sexual harassment by authorities during their peaceful gatherings over the past seven months. Eleven union members spent up to more than two months in pre-trial detention before being released in March 2022, and continue to face years in prison if convicted of spurious charges.