Jailed ‘ArmA 3’ Developers Denied Appeal, To Face Trial

Two ArmA 3 developers who were arrested in September and charged with espionage have been denied of an appeal to their charges and refused bail, a report from Eurogamer states.

Citing a report from Czech news site Rozhlas, the report claims that Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, two developers from Bohemia Interactive who were visiting the Greek island of Lemnos on vacation, were made to wait “weeks” longer than normal to receive a verdict on their appeal.

Since their appeal and bail were both denied, Buchta and Pezlar will have to face a Greek court at an undisclosed point in the future.

Buchta and Pezlar were arrested in September during a visit to the Greek island of Lemnos, where Bohemia Interactive’s ArmA 3 takes place. The Greek government claimed that the two had committed espionage by allegedly attempting to film a military complex, which Bohemia Interactive denied in a later statement.

“They [Pezlar and Buchta] took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do,” the statement read.

“These included a short video as they drove through the main road passing around the international airport, where in one short part of the video off in the distance some hangars and other buildings of the complex can be seen. It’s very likely that many tourists may have pictures similar to those taken by Ivan and Martin in their own family albums, without being aware that they put themselves or their families at risk.”

Conditions for the two jailed developers were previously reported to be uncomfortable, and that situation has apparently not improved.

“They’re in a cell with over 25 people, they sleep on the ground,” Ivan’s father, Miloslav Buchta, said. “They have food twice a day.”

“Our boys no longer tell us on the phone that it’s alright, that they’re handling it,” one of the mothers said. “After the court’s decision we only hear from them something that no parent ever wants to hear: Mom, dad, please save us.”