”Cambodian Worker Leader Imprisoned on Factory’s False Charges Acquitted—ASICS, MUJI Fail to Require Supplier to Compensate Worker It Wrongly Accused,” 2 October 2024

Wing Star Shoes in Cambodia, which supplies the Japanese brands, ASICS and MUJI, had its worker, Chea Chan, who is a leader of a recently formed independent union at its factory, jailed for more than 180 days, prosecuted on obviously false and retaliatory criminal charges, and sentenced to a year’s imprisonment...

Despite being acquitted over a month ago, Wing Star Shoes has only now allowed Mr. Chan to return to the factory, and still has not given him back his job as a mechanic. Moreover, despite having caused him to spend six months in prison on baseless charges...

To date, ASICS and MUJI have failed to require their supplier, Wing Star Shoes, to remedy this gross violation of human and labor rights.

...Wing Star Shoes continues to refuse to compensate Mr. Chan for the harm the company caused him due to his imprisonment on false charges. The factory also refuses to issue a statement to workers pledging to respect employees’ right to freedom of association and refrain from retaliation against employees for exercising this right...

ASICS and MUJI must act now to require Wing Star Shoes, as a condition of further business, to reinstate Mr. Chan to his original position without loss of seniority and to compensate him for loss of income and other harm from the false imprisonment he endured.