Black Sabbath leader’s Bali 9 appeal
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11th hour appeal … Black Sabbath founder Tony Iommi has penned a letter to the Indonesian president to halt the execution. Picture: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images.
Source: Supplied
BLACK Sabbath co-founder and one of the godfathers of heavy metal music Tony Iommi has made an 11th hour plea to the Indonesian President to halt the execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Iommi’s letter asking for clemency has been delivered to President Joko Widodo today, just hours after the two Australians were moved to the execution island Nusakambangan.
Widodo is renowned for his love of heavy rock music and has already received an appeal for mercy for the two Australians and a British woman facing the firing squad from Mark “Barney” Greenway, the frontman of his favourite band Napalm Death.
The Black Sabbath guitarist and songwriter’s respectful letter to President Widodo acknowledged the negative impact of drugs.
Metal godfather … Iommi co-founded Black Sabbath more than 40 years ago and is a respected humanitarian. Picture: Leon Neal / AFP
Source: AFP
“I understand and respect your efforts to combat drug abuse in lndonesia, this is
something that all countries are having to deal with,” Iommi wrote.
“lndeed, I have seen first hand the negative impacts that drugs can have on people and their families. That is why I understand your strong views on this issue.”
Iommi emphasised the positive rehabilitation of the Australian men in the Kerobokan jail and appealed to the President as a “forgiving man”.
“The lndonesian prison system has had great success in transforming Andrew and
Myuran. I appeal to you, as a forgiving man, to take note of their transformation,” the Black Sabbath guitarist wrote.
“They are now reformed men who are making a positive difference to the lives of their fellow prisoners.
“That they have been transformed so much is a real credit to the lndonesian authorities.
For this reason, I would ask that you stop the execution of Andrew and Myuran.
“Please allow them to serve out life sentences where they contribute to the wellbeing of lndonesia and make good for the error of their previous ways.
“I do hope you will consider this personal appeal.”
Clemency plea … Tony Iommi’s appeal to the president of Indonesia to0 halt the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied
The letter was translated into Indonesian and delivered to the President’s office.
Iommi wrote it after being approached by his friend Jon Dee, the founder of volunteer organisation DoSomething.
Dee and Iommi have worked together before on other humanitarian projects since 1989, including the Rock Aid Armenia initiative to build schools for children affected by earthquakes in the country.
“Given that Indonesian is a neighbour and friend, it concerned me that they are preparing to execute these two Australians in front of a firing squad, particularly when these two guys have so demonstrably mended their ways and made a really positive contribution in the prison where they were being held,” Dee said.
“Given the president’s publicly stated fondness for heavy metal music, the one thing I felt I could do was to reach out to the man who started heavy metal to see if he could use his influence to plead for clemency on their behalf.”
Fave band … Napalm Death frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway posted an appeal for clemency on Facebook in January. Picture: Xavi Torrent / Redferns via Getty Images.
Source: Supplied
Napalm Death’s frontman Greenway made a direct appeal to the President via Facebook asking for clemency in January.
The Indonesian leader has been photographed wearing the band’s T-shirts and rocking out the devil’s horn salute as well as professing his fandom for Metallica and Megadeth.
“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,” he wrote.
“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.”
