It has been one full year since ASICS made this statement in response to the egregious violation of freedom of association in its supply chain and it seems clear that ASICS has said one thing and done another.

ASICS has been repeatedly provided with detailed information regarding the entirely false claims made by its supplier that led to the violent arrest of Chea Chan, his subsequent imprisonment for six months, and his acquittal with even the prosecutor admitting a total lack of evidence against Chea Chan.

ASICS has been repeatedly made aware of the severe health and financial hardship that Chan, his wife, and three children have had to face as a result of his false imprisonment, yet they have failed to ensure that any amount of the compensation owed to Chan has been paid.

ASICS has been repeatedly made aware of the fact that the union that Chan was elected to lead would have been the only independent union at the Wing Star Shoes factory, yet it has pointed to employer-controlled yellow unions as ‘evidence’ of respect for freedom of association.

ASICS have said that Wing Star Shoes have accepted their demand to respect freedom of association, but Chan has not been given his original job back. He continues to be punished by being separated from other workers and prevented from doing real work, instead confined alone to an outhouse of the factory. ASICS have been repeatedly made aware of this.

Chan's imprisonment was orchestrated to crush independent union activity that represents a chance to address rights abuses in ASICS. But his continued mistreatment sends a chilling message to the 20,000 workers at Wing Star: stay silent or suffer the consequences.

In other instances where factory suppliers have engaged in this kind of retaliation against workers for exercising their basic associational rights, brands have done the right thing and ensured compensation is paid. ASICS stands out for its unusually indifferent approach to protecting worker rights in this factory that has a long history of human rights abuses.

It is wrong for ASICS to claim to consumers that it respects rights while it refuses to make a commitment to ensure that compensation is paid, that he is restored to his original role, and that workers are permitted to freely organise an independent union. We do not want empty words, we are waiting for concrete commitments and change, nothing less is appropriate after more than one year since making such a false public statement.