Jailed Arma 3 devs’ letter published as Czech protests escalate

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 released a letter to their supporters. The pair have been held in a Greek prison for a total of 81 days so far as they await 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 claim it was nothing more than a vacation — and not related to the development of the upcoming Arma 3 game — Greek authorities have refused to bend on the situation.

Yesterday, we received an update from Ivan and Martin in the form of a letter. Dated November 22, 2012, the letter was posted yesterday on the HelpIvanMartin website set up by the Bohemia Interactive developers hoping to see the pair freed. The letter was published alongside a protest outside the Greek embassy in Prague which was organized by 2K Czech's Mafia developer Daniel Vávra.

The letter reads:

Dear Friends,

We would like to thank you for the ongoing support of our case. After tiring two months, it is important for us to hear ( well, read) words of encouragement and to learn that we are not forgotten.

We are treated well, but we feel we should rather be with our families than here.Your effort makes it easier to handle: We enjoy the postcards, community news, pictures and puzzles which are being regularly send by this website’s magnificent staff, It seem sit will take some time before we could return home and there is certainly much to overcome.

We do our best to stay optimistic and use this time well : we read we walk, we chat and discuss and martin even does some pt. we’ve already walked hundred of kilometers, read thousands of pages, but our thoughts are always with our families, friends and people who help us in any way.

We should also thank everyone who joined the petition! 14.000 signatures is truly amazing number, which makes us hope for the best regardless of the hardships.

With best regards, from windy Greece,

Ivan & Martin

Our prayers go out to Ivan and Martin and their families and friends. Being away from family at any time — especially during the Holidays — must be incredibly difficult. 81 days is a long time to be away from those you love. Let's hope this gets resolved quickly.