Imprisoned Arma 3 devs released on bail

Arma 3 developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, who were arrested by Greek authorities and accused of espionage while visiting the country of Greece, have been released on bail of €5,000 each. The developers are now free to return home to the Czech Republic.

The pair spent four months (128 days) in a Greek prison as they awaited their trial in which they are accused of entering restricted military areas and taking photographs and video. Although the two prisoners and Arma 3 studio Bohemia Interactive claimed it was nothing more than a vacation — and not related to the development of the upcoming Arma 3 game — Greek authorities refused to budge. Both men faced up to 20 years in prison if they were convicted.

On the HelpIvanMartin website setup by Bohemia Interactive, the company noted:

As a result of repeated dealings, today the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras informed Czech PM Petr Nečas over the telephone that the two Czech arrested by Greek police because of supposed photography of military objects on the island of Lemnos have been released. Both can now return back to the Czech Republic. PM Petr Nečas expressed appreciation for the efforts of PM Antonis Samaras and thanked him,” said Petr Nečas’ spokesperson Michal Schuster on Tuesday.

After Bohemia Interactive denied that its employees were in Greece and illegally obtained photos as part of their work, the Czech President Václav Klaus also sided with them when he sent a letter to his Greek counterpart Karlos Papoulias with a request for their release.

[Ceskatelevize.cz]