LRSU union members stand outside the Supreme Court on 3 May 2024 holding banners calling for the release of union president Chhim Sithar.

The Supreme Court this morning upheld the convictions of current and former casino union members, prolonging the incarceration of LRSU President Chhim Sithar.

The four-judge panel delivered its verdict the morning of 3 May upholding convictions for eight defendants. Their sentences range from two years to one year in prison, with Sithar being the only defendant currently serving her two-year sentence.

While Sithar is expected to be released later this year once she completes her sentence, today’s verdict puts five of the defendants at risk of immediate imprisonment. The five defendants — Chhim Sokhorn, Hay Sopheap, Kleang Soben, Sun Srey Pich, and Touch Sereymeas — were given 18-month prison sentences by the Phnom Penh Capital Court.

Two of the remaining defendants were given suspended sentences by a lower court.

The Phnom Penh Capital Court had charged nine defendants who were associated with the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU) and they were convicted in 2023. The convictions under Articles 494 and 495 of the Criminal Code are related to the union’s ongoing peaceful strike.

Eight defendants appealed the Phnom Penh court’s verdict, which was upheld by an appeal court last October.

Union members have been on strike since December 2021 against NagaWorld casino’s decision to implement mass layoffs in the middle of a pandemic. The firings included all of LRSU’s senior leadership and a large number of its members. Since the peaceful strike commenced in 2021, workers have been subjected to physical, verbal and sexual assault by local authorities and security personnel.