Two former Sri Lanka Army Intelligence personnel, arrested yesterday (1 March) on allegations of involvement in the abduction and assault of journalist Keith Noyahr in May 2008, have been granted bail by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court.

Noyahr, the associate editor of The Nation, was known for his critical analyses of Sri Lanka’s security situation in his column Military Matters. He was abducted in a white van and assaulted on 22 May 2008 before being released following an alleged series of high-level telephone calls that night.

Fearing for his safety, Noyahr fled the country with his family. The case remained stagnant for years until it was reopened under the Good Governance Government in 2015. In 2017, five military intelligence officers were arrested, remanded, and later released on bail, but no charges were filed. A CID investigation later uncovered a safehouse in Dompe, identified as a covert military intelligence site where Noyahr was tortured. The facility was reportedly operated by Major Prabath Bulathwatte and the Military Intelligence Directorate.