Life on death row is a constant anxious wait for Emmanuel who initially received life imprisonment in 2004 for smuggling 396.6 grams of heroin contained in 31 capsules in his stomach. When he appealed the verdict, the Bali high court increased his sentence to death. He is currently detained in Kerobokan Prison awaiting execution.
Emmanuel says that his health is okay but he thinks that he might be moving to the maximum security tower where death row prisoners await execution. Two other Australians are currently detained there [Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran]
Emmanuel has very little support from the outside world. He does not have visits from family or friends. By all accounts, he appears to be a young man who is forgotten not only by his country, but by the world. He is lost in the system and lives with little hope. FPSS respects the exclusive right of Indonesia to judge the guilt and/or innocence of prisoners, but hopes that Indonesia might spare this young man's life so that he might have an opportunity to redeem himself.
'I met Emmanuel when I visited the Kerobokan prison back in 2005. He was a quietly spoken young man, most sincere and grateful for the bar of soap and food supplies I gave him' says Kay Danes. 'I hope that his life is spared because I have faith in his ability to turn his life around. If only he has the chance to do so!'