Napalm Death Put Support Behind Condemned Bali Nine Smugglers

Birmingham grindcore veterans Napalm Death have issued a plea to Indonesian president — and band fan — Joko Widodo to bestow clemency upon condemned Bali Nine smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

The last-ditch effort came early yesterday, just hours before news broke that the pair's bids for clemency had been rejected by the president. Napalm Death frontman Mark 'Barney' Greenway made his case in a similar manner to The Temper Trap's Dougy Mandagi — on the band's Facebook account, with an emotive but respectful missive to Widodo, calling on the President's respect for the band to help build his argument.

"Dear Mr Widodo, I am appealing directly to you to please spare the lives of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australian citizens who are currently awaiting the death sentence in Indonesia for heroin smuggling," his message began.

"As a follower of our band Napalm Death, you would appreciate that our lyrics and ethos challenge the unbroken cycle of violence in the world, whether it comes from a state or as an individual. If these things are not challenged and ultimately changed, I believe we will never truly move forward as humankind."

Although Greenway acknowledged that he understands Widodo's position "as a leader determined to change things for the better", and that he "appreciate[s] that heroin can be damaging on many levels", the vocalist maintained that "this is a much deeper issue that cannot be changed or altered by simply taking away the lives of the people", and that he believes granting clemency to Chan and Sukumaran would "be a major step forward in this pursuit of betterment".

The post concludes with a link to the Mercy campaign at the centre of the grass-roots clemency movement that has sprung up around the pair. You can read it in its entirety below.

As the ABC reports, Chan and Sukumaran, having exhausted all other options, will now attempt a final appeal for a (second) judicial review — this time, of the "entire legal process, as well as the president's clemency decision itself".