The Persecution Times » Algeria
Algerian Authorities Detain Christians Leaving Prayer Meeting
Compass Direct News reports that: Algerian authorities have charged six Christians with distributing illegal religious material after detaining them as they left a prayer meeting in a western city last week. The Protestants were charged with “distributing documents to shake the faith of Muslims,” according to a written court summons issued Saturday May 10 prior to the men’s release in Tiaret city. Their first hearing is scheduled for May 27. During the detainees’ overnight stay at a local police station, officers repeatedly threatened them for converting from Islam to Christianity, one of the Christians said. “They said we were accomplices and the spies of the Jews, thus we deserve to have our throats cut without pity,” said Djillali Saibi. Though the court summons did not specify which law the men had violated, the charge quotes … Read entire article »
Filed under: Algeria, Christian, Muslim, Persecution
Christian Sentenced for Carrying a Bible in Algeria
Compass Direct News reports that An Algerian Christian detained five days for carrying a Bible and personal Bible study books was handed a 300-euro (US$460) fine and a one-year suspended prison sentence last week, an Algerian church leader said. Last Tuesday (April 29) a court in Djilfa, 150 miles south of Algiers, charged the 33-year-old Muslim convert to Christianity with “printing, storing and distributing” illegal religious material. A written copy of the verdict has yet to be issued. The Protestant, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told fellow Christians in his home city of Tiaret that police pressured him to return to Islam while in custody. The conviction is the latest in a wave of detentions and court cases against Algeria’s Protestants and Catholics. Since January police and provincial officials have ordered the closure … Read entire article »
Filed under: Algeria, Christian, Compass Direct, Muslim, Persecution
Algerian Christian Sentenced for Proselytism
Compass Direct News reports that: An Algerian Christian was handed a two-year suspended sentence for “proselytism” yesterday amid an ongoing government crackdown on 26 of Algeria’s 50 Protestant congregations, a church leader said. A court in Tiaret, 150 miles southwest of Algiers, delivered the written verdict yesterday after convicting the Christian on April 2, said Mustapha Krim, president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA). Prosecution of “proselytism” violates Article 18 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the inherent right to publicly manifest one’s faith. The full story is at Compass Direct News. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Algeria, Christian, Compass Direct, Persecution
