Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway Asks Indonesian President To Halt Executions of Two Men

Legendary British grinders Napalm Death have never been afraid to address political  topics in their lyrics.  Their new album 'Apex Predator - Easy Meat' was influenced by the 2013 collapse of a garment manufacturing factory building in Bangladesh that killed over a thousand workers. Now, frontman Barney Greenway is appealing to the president of Indonesia to stop the execution of two Australian men.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were convicted of smuggling heroin into the country and sentenced to death. Greenway has written a letter to Indonesia's president asking him to spare the lives of the two men.

Greenway's letter may have some leverage, because Indonesian president Joko Widodo is a big fan of metal in general, and Napalm Death specifically. Here's a copy of the letter Greenway sent:

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. 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.

I understand that you are standing as a leader determined to change things for the better, and so I believe granting clemency would be a major step forward in this pursuit of betterment. I appreciate that heroin can be damaging on many levels, but I believe that this is a much deeper issue that cannot be changed or altered by simply taking away the lives of people.

Again, I respectfully ask that you make a real difference and overturn these sentences.

In hope and peace

Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway (Napalm Death)

You can find out more about the case on the Mercy Campaign website.