human rights defender
Chhim Sithar
Actions and Campaigns
Chhim Sithar
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Organization affiliation
- Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of Naga World
HRD's year of birth
1987
HRD's Gender
Woman
Type of HRD
- Trade union leader
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Labour rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
Chhim Sithar is a prominent Cambodian trade union leader and human rights defender. Born in December 1987, in Prey Veng Province, she has been a significant figure in advocating for workers’ rights in Cambodia. Sithar holds a bachelor’s degree in economic informatics and began her career at NagaWorld, a casino and hotel complex in Phnom Penh in 2007. In 2009, she became actively involved in the Labor Rights Supported Union (LRSU) of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld. She was elected Vice President of LRSU in 2012 and became its President in 2014. Under her leadership, the union has fought for better working conditions and wages for NagaWorld employees. Sithar has faced significant legal challenges due to her activism. In December 2021, she led a strike following a mass layoff of over 1,300 workers, which led to her arrest and charges of "incitement to commit a felony" in January 2022. She was subsequently released on bail in March 2022, but re-arrested in November 2022 after returning from an international trade union conference in Australia, accused of violating her bail conditions. Despite these challenges, she continues to be a leading voice for workers’ rights in Cambodia.
Detained since
Nov 26, 2022
Date of release
Sep 16, 2024
Charge(s)
- Creating disturbances
Sentence
2 years imprisonment
Latitude: 11.557900560316286
Longitude: 104.73238975595758
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Asia: South-eastern Asia
Location of detention - City/Town
Phnom Penh
Location of detention - Facility
Correctional Center 2 in Phnom Penh
Recent case update / evolution
On 3 May 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the Phnom Penh Appeal Court's decision to convict Ms. Chhim Sithar and other union leaders on charges of "incitement to disturb social security” under Articles 494 and 495 of the Penal Code. In May 2023, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced Chhim Sithar to two years' imprisonment due to her involvement in peaceful strikes seeking a settlement for a labor dispute. The convictions were upheld by the Phnom Penh Appeal Court in October 2023.
Any other relevant documents
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) welcomes Chhim Sithar, President of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), for her release on September 16, 2024, after serving a two-year prison sentence on incitement charges related to the peaceful strikes conducted by LRSU members. However, Sithar should never have been in jail in the first place. CCHR continues to appeal for just solutions for this labor dispute case and the authorities shall respect the fundamental freedoms for all. FB link
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1987
- HRD's Gender
- Woman
- Type of HRD
- Trade union leader
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Labour rights
- Organization affiliation
- Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of Naga World
- HRD's Picture
- HRD's bio and work
Chhim Sithar is a prominent Cambodian trade union leader and human rights defender. Born in December 1987, in Prey Veng Province, she has been a significant figure in advocating for workers’ rights in Cambodia. Sithar holds a bachelor’s degree in economic informatics and began her career at NagaWorld, a casino and hotel complex in Phnom Penh in 2007. In 2009, she became actively involved in the Labor Rights Supported Union (LRSU) of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld. She was elected Vice President of LRSU in 2012 and became its President in 2014. Under her leadership, the union has fought for better working conditions and wages for NagaWorld employees. Sithar has faced significant legal challenges due to her activism. In December 2021, she led a strike following a mass layoff of over 1,300 workers, which led to her arrest and charges of "incitement to commit a felony" in January 2022. She was subsequently released on bail in March 2022, but re-arrested in November 2022 after returning from an international trade union conference in Australia, accused of violating her bail conditions. Despite these challenges, she continues to be a leading voice for workers’ rights in Cambodia.
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Asia: South-eastern Asia
- Location of detention - City/Town
- Phnom Penh
- Location of detention - Facility
- Correctional Center 2 in Phnom Penh
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 11.557900560316286
Longitude: 104.73238975595758
- Geolocation of detention
- Detained since
- Nov 26, 2022
- Current Status
- Released
- Date of release
- Sep 16, 2024
- Charge(s)
- Creating disturbances
- Sentence
2 years imprisonment
- Recent case update / evolution
On 3 May 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the Phnom Penh Appeal Court's decision to convict Ms. Chhim Sithar and other union leaders on charges of "incitement to disturb social security” under Articles 494 and 495 of the Penal Code. In May 2023, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced Chhim Sithar to two years' imprisonment due to her involvement in peaceful strikes seeking a settlement for a labor dispute. The convictions were upheld by the Phnom Penh Appeal Court in October 2023.
- Protection actions and campaigns
- Any other relevant documents
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) welcomes Chhim Sithar, President of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld (LRSU), for her release on September 16, 2024, after serving a two-year prison sentence on incitement charges related to the peaceful strikes conducted by LRSU members. However, Sithar should never have been in jail in the first place. CCHR continues to appeal for just solutions for this labor dispute case and the authorities shall respect the fundamental freedoms for all. FB link
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
Supporting files
sorted by
Date added
8 relationships, 7 entities