Day Z Creator Rallies Internet to Save Bohemia "Spies"

[Karloff]

Day Z Creator Rallies Internet to Save Bohemia "Spies"

Dean Hall calls Bohemia Interactive spying charges "nothing short of absurd."

Dean Hall, creator of Day Z [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118918-DayZ-Breaks-Out-of-ArmA-II], wants supporters of the imprisoned Bohemia Interactive developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar to contact the Greek Government any way they can. He suggests that they Tweet Prime Minister Samaras, contact their nearest Greek Embassy, or even comment on Lemnos press articles, all in a concerted effort to get Buchta and Pezlar home.

"I was planning on visiting Greece as part of my European holiday," said Hall in a Facebook comment on a Greek newspaper article [http://www.lesvosnews.net/articles/news-categories/limnos/dyo-syllipseis-tsehon-gia-kataskopeia-sti-limno], "I will not be doing that, nor will my family." Several other article commentators said much the same, indicating that their tourist dollars would not be going to Greece this year.

In a Tumbler post on the issue, Hall was more forthright. "The charges are nothing short of absurd," he said. "This is a disgrace to the video gaming industry, and both of them should be freed immediately." Hall is incensed not simply because Buchta and Pezlar are colleagues but because they are personal friends, who worked on Day Z with Hall.

Bohemia Interactive are entered military facilities despite a warning [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/119625-Conditions-Are-Tough-For-Game-Dev-Spies], though Jay Crowe of Bohemia has called the allegations "false and without substance." The Czech Embassy in Greece has said that it is closely following the case, but declines to comment to avoid "misunderstanding."

No word yet from Greek officialdom, but when Arma 3 cropped up on its radar last year [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113323-Greek-Island-Angry-at-Portrayal-in-Videogames], Lemnos government figures expressed concern that their island home was being used as an Arma 3 battleground. "We reserve our legal rights to defend our island's reputation," said Mayor Hatzidiamantis at the time. Other Lemnos officials cited security considerations due to the island's proximity to Turkey, a nation with a long history of conflict with Greece. It would not be difficult to see Buchta and Pezlar's predicament less as a misunderstanding, than as angered Greeks taking a swipe at a game development company they dislike.

Source: Dean Hall [http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/09/18/day-z-creator-calls-on-community-to-pressure-greek-government-to-release-developers/]


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[Karadalis]

They looked for trouble and trouble is what they got. Sorry but even Game devs have to obey the law.. you can not simply take pictures of a military installation and think its "a-okay"

Ofcourse they gonna charge you with being a spie... sheesh.

 

[cerebus23]

I think greece is being too hard on these guy i mean, one side says they were not warend off the other side says they were, the other side say that greece never like the fact that arma 3 was using their nation as a backdrop for their next game, or lest the island they live on..

its like he said she said thing.

but in a age of spy sattelites that can read the license plate off a car from space, did these guys do anything so bad? so china, russia, usa and whoever can spy on them from space but a few game guys with cameras are a national security threat?

a little perspective would be nice, unless these guys were directly stealing state secrets, fine them, kick them out of their country, and bohemia can probably use google maps to get the same info.

 

[Zombie_Moogle]

Cuz it's not like the Greek government has been known for dick moves, or anything...

 

[TheScottishFella]

actually fact check

"They took photographs and videos in public areas, as countless tourists arriving to enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Greece may well do. 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."

Apparently you haven't been staying up to date with the news, don't accuse others to fact check when you haven't checked yourself.

They were tourists and weren't working on BI's half they were just tourists on holiday. That's it. And let's not forget this little gem:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/12/newsid_2518000/2518385.stm

That being said no-one is actually in the right because we don't know which side is right, however to those speaking about "Military Espionage" keep in mind The Escapist may be a good site but it like many other news site live on the page hits they get, so take news with a grain of salt.

Edit: Also this "Every news article I've seen..." that means nothing since most sites are a regurgitation of other sites news spun in a different way. People need to stop making assumptions when NO-ONE knows the facts except those involved.

They looked for trouble and trouble is what they got. Sorry but even Game devs have to obey the law.. you can not simply take pictures of a military installation and think its "a-okay"

Ofcourse they gonna charge you with being a spie... sheesh.

Evidence?

 

[SnowBurst]

rockets doesnt know what hes talking about -_- "i was going to go to greece but now i wont" (paraphrased) as if an entire country cares? and he seems to think the internet can save anyone if the entire internet said release them they wont listen because its a military espionage issue not a domestic/social one

 

[Azuaron]

They were told by the police to not go on to thebase.

They looked for trouble and trouble is what they got. Sorry but even Game devs have to obey the law.. you can not simply take pictures of a military installation and think its "a-okay"

There are no restricted military bases on Limnos at all, so how can what you typed be true?

Don't bother being predictable and quoting the civilian airport or practising grounds for conscripts on me. I typed "restricted", because any non-restricted area can be definition not be spied upon since it's open to the public and subject to free speech, entry and photography.

Anyway, ontopic: e-mailed several liberal MPs here who are big on campaigning for rights about it, including two in the EU parliament. Hopefully they can approach figures in the Greek government and make clear that this is ridiculous, and the political prisoners may be freed.

Because every single news article I've seen on it has said that the police told them to not go onto the base. And thus why Greece arrested them. Do be a good chap and actually fact check things before jumping down Karadalis and myself throats. Kthnxbye.

Specifically:

Don't bother being predictable and quoting the civilian airport or practising grounds for conscripts on me. I typed "restricted", because any non-restricted area can be definition not be spied upon since it's open to the public and subject to free speech, entry and photography.

I'm not actually sure about how free speech works in Greece (if at all), but that's flawed thinking even by the liberally free speech laws of the US.

For instance, if a crime occurs in a park, and the police cordon off the park, and I enter the park despite being told not too, I will be arrested for entering a restricted area, even though the area is, typically, non-restricted.

Beyond that, you mention a civilian airport and every airport has restricted areas that you will be arrested for entering, especially if an official is standing there saying, "Turn back now."

Further, while this isn't the case here (or, at least, does not appear to be the case), the charge of "espionage" doesn't require you to do anything that would be illegal if one were, say, a citizen. If you're photographing a military base and are in fact a spy, it doesn't matter if you're doing it from a public location or not (though, typically, the police should have more evidence than "he was taking a picture in a public location").

Anyway, we've essentially got into an international case of hearsay at this point. "They entered a restricted area despite warnings," "That charge is bogus," yadda yadda yadda. So, unless you are:

1. One of the guys arrested

B. One of the arresting officers

3. A witness to their arrest

...you don't actually know anything about whether or not they were doing anything legitimately illegal at the time of their arrest, you simply believe one side or the other more because of your prejudices.

Personally, cops typically aren't out looking for people to arrest on bogus charges in order to create an international incident (way too much paperwork), and any conspiracy hypothesis involving Greek officials pressuring cops to arrest them on bogus charges is inherently ridiculous, so until more evidence comes to light, I'm with the cops.

 

[NvrPhazed]

rockets doesnt know what hes talking about -_- "i was going to go to greece but now i wont" (paraphrased) as if an entire country cares? and he seems to think the internet can save anyone if the entire internet said release them they wont listen because its a military espionage issue not a domestic/social one

You are telling me that if two of your friends were arrested for spying, charges you believe that are false, you would still go there for your vacation? It's not a pr thing its called standing by your friends.

 

[SnowBurst]

rockets doesnt know what hes talking about -_- "i was going to go to greece but now i wont" (paraphrased) as if an entire country cares? and he seems to think the internet can save anyone if the entire internet said release them they wont listen because its a military espionage issue not a domestic/social one

You are telling me that if two of your friends were arrested for spying, charges you believe that are false, you would still go there for your vacation? It's not a pr thing its called standing by your friends.

dude rocket probably didnt even know them lol and its a country not a bloody company, ive been to greece loads every island is different and athens is completely different so if hes just not going there for that then hes being immature

 

[NvrPhazed]

rockets doesnt know what hes talking about -_- "i was going to go to greece but now i wont" (paraphrased) as if an entire country cares? and he seems to think the internet can save anyone if the entire internet said release them they wont listen because its a military espionage issue not a domestic/social one

You are telling me that if two of your friends were arrested for spying, charges you believe that are false, you would still go there for your vacation? It's not a pr thing its called standing by your friends.

dude rocket probably didnt even know them lol and its a country not a bloody company, ive been to greece loads every island is different and athens is completely different so if hes just not going there for that then hes being immature

'Hall is incensed not simply because Buchta and Pezlar are colleagues but because they are personal friends, who worked on Day Z with Hall.' -Article

Capcha: This is not fake

Hook, line, and sinker. Thank you for playing read the article better next time, (and I would back up my friends like that and you should too)

 

[SnowBurst]

rockets doesnt know what hes talking about -_- "i was going to go to greece but now i wont" (paraphrased) as if an entire country cares? and he seems to think the internet can save anyone if the entire internet said release them they wont listen because its a military espionage issue not a domestic/social one

You are telling me that if two of your friends were arrested for spying, charges you believe that are false, you would still go there for your vacation? It's not a pr thing its called standing by your friends.

dude rocket probably didnt even know them lol and its a country not a bloody company, ive been to greece loads every island is different and athens is completely different so if hes just not going there for that then hes being immature

'Hall is incensed not simply because Buchta and Pezlar are colleagues but because they are personal friends, who worked on Day Z with Hall.' -Article

Capcha: This is not fake

Hook, line, and sinker. Thank you for playing read the article better next time, (and I would back up my friends like that and you should too)

from what rocket said no ones worked on dayz but him only a few people have made minor additions to dayz which is a piss poor mod anyway imo because the zombies glitching is unbelievable and should be ironed out in alpha not beta and whats the point in adding a rifle that whenever you fire it u escalate the shit situation your in about 20 times over in about a year i doubt dayz will be "all that" when the war z or properly made similar games come out but thts my opinion

 

[NLS]

rockets doesnt know what hes talking about -_- "i was going to go to greece but now i wont" (paraphrased) as if an entire country cares? and he seems to think the internet can save anyone if the entire internet said release them they wont listen because its a military espionage issue not a domestic/social one

You are telling me that if two of your friends were arrested for spying, charges you believe that are false, you would still go there for your vacation? It's not a pr thing its called standing by your friends.

dude rocket probably didnt even know them lol and its a country not a bloody company, ive been to greece loads every island is different and athens is completely different so if hes just not going there for that then hes being immature

what part of

not simply because Buchta and Pezlar are colleagues but because they are personal friends, who worked on Day Z with Hall.

did you not understand?

OT: This is all just Greece's way to say "we don't like the chance that someone might be playing war on our island in a virtual game world, what if the turks use this as a training tool to invade us?" and then arrest the 2 guys simply because they can and will show Bohemia the big middle finger.
FFS, Turkey ain't gonna invade Lemnos in the next 10 years, and if they so surely want to, satellite intel is probably better than trying to use inaccurate data from a futuristic war simulator. The Czech government didn't go all apeshit because Chernarus was modeled after a region in the Czech republic.