Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, two employees of the dev team behind ArmA 3 and DayZ (Bohemia Interactive) have been jailed in Greece since September. The duo has been charged of spying on Greek military installations and is facing up to 20 years in jail.
Buchta and Pezlar have been detained for 79 days at the time of writing, and have been denied bail.
What happened?
We’ve covered that transpired before, but if you need a brief refresher:
The two went to Greece for a vacation shortly before being arrested, and took photographs of a military installation on the Greek island of Lemnos. Perhaps not surprisingly, ArmA 3 was already revealed to feature Lemnos before the incident.
Being arrested at what may be the worst possible time to be locked up, Buchta and Pezlar found themselves stuck in the Greek judicial system and stuck in jail for an extended period.
Speaking with family, Ivan Buchta says they sleep on the ground with over 25 people in one room and are fed twice a day.
If the above weren’t worrying enough, a mother of one of the pair is seeing a change in their attitude during their time in Greek jail.
“Our boys no longer tell us on the phone that it’s alright, that they’re handling it,” she said. “After the court’s decision we only hear from them something that no parent ever wants to hear: Mom, dad, please save us.“
The families of Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar are seeking help from the Czech government to bring their boys back home.
There is a fan effort to raise awareness of the situation, which can be found here.
We here at Game Skinny hope that Pezlar and Buchta can make it home soon. Not only to continue with ArmA 3, but to be safe and with their families. We’ll keep you updated as new information on this situation arises.
Source: ArmA dev confirms: staff arrested, accused of spying by Greek authorities
Source 2: Get ArmA 3 devs home: Bohemia Interactive wants your help
Source 3: After 70 days awaiting trial, jailed ArmA 3 devs refused bail
