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Algeria

• Pastor Receives Fine

  

  In July of this year, an Algerian Christian referred to as "Ahmed Beghal" (name changed due to security concerns) was sentenced to six months in prison and fined 100,000 dinars ($920 CAD) for "shaking the faith of a Muslim," along with printing Christian literature and distributing Bibles. Ahmed denied all charges against him and appealed his sentence.

• Pastor and Three Other Christians Facing Charges

  

  Pastor Salah Chalah is the senior pastor of the largest Protestant church in Algeria, as well as the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA). He and three other believers have been summoned to appear in court on December 5th. Pastor Salah faces multiple charges, including "practising non-Muslim rites without permission" and organizing an assembly. Penalties can range from heavy fines to up to five years' imprisonment. The other three Christians have received similar charges, with one of them also facing charges for allegedly taking photographs of people without their permission.

• Appeals Denied for Pastor and Bookstore Salesman

  

  In addition to pastoring the Oran City Church in Algeria, Rachid Seighir owned and operated a book and stationery shop, where Nouh Hamimi worked as a salesman. On February 27th, both men were convicted of "shaking the faith" of Muslims through the literature that was sold at their bookstore. In June, the initial two-year sentences given to the accused men were reduced to one-year suspended sentences. These sentences were in addition to the separate fines imposed by the court. (See this report for more details.)

• Three Churches Sealed for Closure

  

  On July 7th, three more church buildings were sealed by Algerian authorities. These recent closures are part of the government's campaign, which was launched in 2017, to shut down Christian places of worship. This latest incident brings the total number of sealed churches to 16. For details on the previous closures, go to the country report.

• Christian Sentenced for Allegedly Accepting Donations

  

  "Ahmed" (not his real name due to security concerns) knows well the cost of following Christ. When the Algerian man became a Christian in April 2013, his wife began seeing positive changes in his life. As a result, three months later, she also professed her faith in Christ.

• Suspended Prison Sentence

  

  On February 27th, Pastor Rachid Seighir was convicted of "shaking the faith" of Muslims through the availability of materials in his church's bookstore in Oran, Algeria. He, along with his bookstore sales representative, Nouh Hamimi, were sentenced to two years in prison. For more on this case, see this report.

  The men appealed the decision, and a ruling was expected on May 30th. After a week's delay, the judgement was reduced on June 6th to a one-year suspended sentence, along with a fine of $1,800.00 CAD each. The men intend to appeal their initial conviction.

  Government-Mandated Church Closures

• Verdict for Bookstore Managers Expected on May 30th

  

  On February 27th, Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi were sentenced to two years in an Algerian prison for allegedly "shaking the faith" of Muslims through the availability of Christian literature in their church-operated bookstore. Although the appeal of their sentence was heard on May 16th (read more), it has been announced that the verdict will be handed down on May 30th.

• Ongoing Harassment for Exiled Christian

  

  In 2016, Slimane Bouhafs was arrested and sentenced to five years in an Algerian prison for alleged blasphemy in a Facebook post. After various appeals, the sentence was eventually reduced for the accused Christian man, resulting in his release during April 2018 (read more).

• Appeal Postponed Relating to Distribution of Christian Literature

  

  On February 27th, Pastor Rachid Seighir and Nouh Hamimi were sentenced to two years in prison for allegedly "shaking the faith" of Muslims through the Christian literature being sold in their bookstore (read more). The charges follow a raid on the Algerian church-run bookstore in September 2017.

   

• Sentence Upheld After Appeal

  

  In February, it was reported that a Christian man named Hamid had been sentenced to five years in prison for sharing a cartoon on Facebook (see more details). On March 22nd, a judge in Oran, Algeria, heard his appeal and upheld the sentence along with a fine of almost $1,000 CAD.