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Algeria

• Christians Facing Two Years' Imprisonment

  

  Along with the issuance of a substantial fine, a court in Algeria has sentenced Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi to two years in prison. These Christians are being accused of "shaking the faith" of Muslims for having made Christian literature available at the bookstore they managed. The men found out about the February 27th ruling when a notice was slipped under the door of their church building.

• Five-Year Sentence for Sharing Cartoon

  

  When posts are viewed on social media, few people think about the legal consequences of sharing them. In 2018, Hamid (surname withheld for security reasons) shared a cartoon he had received on Facebook and thought nothing more of it. He was contacted by police about it at the time, but the case was dropped — until officials showed up at his door three years later. By the next day, the 43-year-old poultry farmer had been sentenced to five years' imprisonment for allegedly insulting Muhammad.

• Churches Closed by Pandemic Remain Unopened

   

  

  As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, places of worship in many nations have been closed to prevent the spread of the virus. While all places of worship and entertainment were initially closed in Algeria since March, governing officials decided to gradually reopen various religious centres as of August, beginning with large mosques consisting of over a thousand worshippers.

• Court Upholds Church Closure Order

  

  The Spring of Life Church in Makouda is the second largest Protestant church in Algeria with about 700 members. In October 2019, it was ordered to be closed, along with two other churches (see this report). The closures happened under Ordinance 06-03, which states that permission must be obtained before using a building for non-Muslim worship.

• Church Ordered to Close

  

  The Governor of Oran has ordered the closure of a church that had been previously closed and then reopened. In February 2018, the Oratoire Church was closed on allegations that it did not have the appropriate permission to operate. Then on June 18th of the same year, it was reopened (read more). However, the governor issued a new order on November 10th, 2019, demanding that the church close. The most recently issued notice was not received by Pastor Seighir until January 11th of this year.

• Another Church to be Closed

  

  Algerian Christians request ongoing prayer as the government campaign to close churches continues. On October 17th, leaders of the church in Freha were summoned by police and informed that their building will be sealed.

  In response to the escalating closures, Christians gathered on October 17th outside the Governorate building in Tizi Ouzou to express their concerns. In response, police violently arrested 97 people, injuring some of them. The believers were detained for four hours before being released.

• Churches Shut Down After Protest

  

  Pastor Salah Chalah, who serves as the national leader of the Protestant Church of Algeria, also pastors the largest church in the country. Each week about 800 Christians gather for worship at the Protestant Church of the Full Gospel of Tizi-Ouzou.

  On October 15th, Pastor Salah and those of his leadership team received an order that the church building was to be sealed. Authorities state that the church has been practising worship without authorization. According to Pastor Saleh, no such authorization is legally required. Regardless, this church is the only Protestant church in the country officially recognized as a place of worship.

• More Church Closures

  

  Algerian Christians request ongoing prayer as the government continues its campaign against churches. On September 25th, the leaders of a church in Tigzirt were informed that their building was to be closed. Police officially sealed it the following day. Along with worship services, the building had also been used as a Bible school since 2013.

• Another Officially Mandated Church Closure

  

  On August 6th, a church in Bouidjima was officially closed by the National Gendarmerie for failing to have a permit. A government mandate, requiring permits for all churches, was issued in 2006. Yet, even though applications have been properly submitted, the requested permits were not issued. One Algerian church leader refers to the officials' implementation of such authorization as only a pretext, further surmising that "their goal is to end the church in Algeria."

• Church and Bible School Closures

  

  A church in the town of Boudjima of northern Algeria was closed by authorities on May 22nd, along with its associated Bible school. According to Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, the church had applied for a permit but, as usual, there had been no response.

  On the day of the closure, Pastor Youssef was summoned to the church where he was informed by the gendarmes that the governor had ordered for it to be sealed. The officers at the scene apologized for what they were doing, saying, "We are only the executors."