Photo: Middle East Concern
Pastor Youssef Ourahmane is the vice president of the Église Protestante d'Algérie (EPA), an association consisting of more than 45 Protestant churches. Along with this leadership role, he also serves as a senior pastor who oversees a number of churches and Bible schools.
In March, Pastor Youssef held a small three-day gathering with a few Christian families. The compound where they met contains a church building that had been sealed by the government in 2019. Due to his hosting of the Christian gathering, Pastor Youssef was charged with holding an unauthorized religious assembly. The accused pastor was not informed of any court hearing nor a verdict until just recently and, consequently, he was not able to defend himself. As a result of the hearing, the church leader was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, along with a fine.
Pastor Youssef has since appealed the verdict, and the subsequent hearing date is scheduled for November 19th. The EPA has faced an ongoing campaign of opposition by the government in recent years, and today only a handful of churches remain open. There are at least ten ongoing court cases against Algerian Christians at this present time. For more details on the persecution of Christians in this North African nation, go to our country report.
Please pray for the upcoming appeal hearing, asking that Pastor Youssef and his legal advisors will receive guidance, direction and peace, as well as the right words to say in response to these charges. May God touch the hearts of the court officials so they will rule in Pastor Youssef's favour. Further, pray that the government's campaign of opposition against churches in Algeria would cease, allowing our Christian brothers and sisters in this country to safely meet for times of worship and fellowship.
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