Tags

Protestant

• Worship Ban in Luhansk

  

  As of 2014, the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine has been under the control of rebels. Since then, the self-declared government imposed oppressive religious restrictions. Last year, an order was made that no religious groups may hold services of any kind without registration. Subsequent to the deadline of October 2018, no Protestant church of any kind was granted registration. (See this report for more details.)

• 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.

• Church Ordered to Vacate

  

  Despite meeting in the same location for ten years, a church in central Ethiopia has been ordered to vacate, citing noise violations. Members of the Mekane Yesus Evangelical Church in the town of Robe were told by state authorities that neighbours have complained about the noise and that the building was not suitable for worship services. They also claimed that those attending were not from the local area.

• Churches Ordered to Close

  

  Churches in Algeria continue to face court-ordered closures, as the Algerian authorities tighten restrictions on non-Islamic places of worship (also see this page). Over the past year, most churches affiliated with the Algerian Protestant Church Association (APCA) have been visited by officials, reportedly to check for safety code violations. As part of their inspection, they also ask to see their licenses -- officially designating their buildings as non-Muslim places of worship. However, the government has yet to issue any such licenses under this regulation.