Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Prince Charles offers help in Khuram Sheikh case

The representative of the Queen at the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting in Sri Lanka, Prince Charles, has offered his help to win justice for the murder of Khuram Sheikh, who was killed on the island in 2011.

According to the Observer, Prince Charles has taken a private interest in the case, as pressure on David Cameron grows to pull out of the meeting.

Shaikh was killed and his girlfriend was raped, while staying in a resort in the southern town of Tangalle. Eight people, including a close ally of the president were arrested and later bailed. No charges have yet been made.

"When we visited Sri Lanka we were told that what was holding up the case was the collection of the final witness statements and the DNA evidence, which was described as the last piece of the jigsaw. But they have had that material for months and still there have not been charges," said Shaikh’s brother, Nasir Shaikh.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk said he was "not sure that Cameron should go and that a British prime minister should shake hands" with his President Rajapakse until there has been progress.

"He should not go unless we have seen charges by the time of the summit."

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.