Two former Sri Lanka Army intelligence officers have been arrested in connection with the abduction and torture of journalist Keith Noyahr in May 2008, the Police Media Division confirmed.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the two suspects on March 1, 2025, in the Nawagaththegama and Elayapaththuwa police divisions. The suspects, both retired officers of the Military Intelligence Corps (MIC), are aged 42 and 46 and are residents of the Nawagaththegama and Ulukkulama areas.
Noyahr, who was the associate editor of The Nation at the time, was abducted on May 22, 2008, outside his home in Dehiwala. His wife later discovered his car parked outside their house with the engine running and headlights still on. He was held for seven hours and subjected to brutal torture before being released. The attack came just days after he published a critical article under the pseudonym Senpathi, questioning the leadership and internal politics of the Sri Lankan military, particularly the role of then-Army Commander Sarath Fonseka.
The abduction took place at a time when the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration was accused of orchestrating a series of so-called "white van" abductions targeting journalists and dissidents. Noyahr fled the country following his release, fearing for his safety.
Noyahr’s case is one of many instances of violence against journalists in Sri Lanka during the final years of the armed conflict and its aftermath.
In 2018, the former Director of Military Intelligence and Army Chief of Staff, Major General Amal Karunasekara, was arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the abduction. Reports at the time indicated that Noyahr had been interrogated about his alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), despite his writing focusing on internal military affairs rather than human rights abuses or war crimes.
The attack on Noyahr was part of a broader campaign of repression against journalists critical of the government and military. Tamil journalists in particular faced increased danger, including from abductions and assassinations.
Despite multiple investigations over the years, justice has remained elusive in cases of journalist killings and attacks. Both the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) alongside Centre for Justice and Accountability (CJA) have called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold Sri Lanka accountable for crimes committed against journalists.
