On 2 July 2024 at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva a side event was held to raise the issue of the persecution of Christians by the Algerian government. The event was organised by Jubilee Campaign and the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Speakers included the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief Nazila Ghanea, the Vice-President of the Église Protestante d’Algérie (EPA) Youssef Ourahmane and his daughter Sarah Ourahmane.

Pastor Youssef, whose case Church in Chains has been following for several years, spoke via video link. He began by explaining that he has been involved with the church in Algeria for over thirty-six years and has held the position of Vice-President of the EPA since 2018.

Pastor Youssef went on to say that there have been fifty-four court cases against members of the EPA in recent years and Christians have been handed prison sentences that vary from two months to five years as well as many fines.

Describing his personal situation, the pastor said that on 2 July 2023, without his knowledge or attending court, he was condemned to two years in prison for organising church activities without a licence. He appealed his prison sentence twice (the prison sentence was reduced to one year at the second appeal hearing) and is currently waiting to have his appeal heard by the Supreme Court. While Pastor Youssef said he is hopeful that the Supreme Court might overturn the verdict, he is conscious that it would take time for the appeal to be heard.

Pastor Youssef reported that only one EPA member church is open (in the capital, Algiers) and that he does not know how long it will be able to remain open. Forty-six churches affiliated with the EPA have been closed by the authorities and about six or seven unaffiliated churches have also closed their buildings. He explained that despite repeated attempts to register the EPA and its places of worship with the Ministry of the Interior, its office never confirms receipt of their applications and to date not a single church has been granted a permit.

According to Pastor Youssef, the Algerian government uses two main arguments to discriminate against Christians:

1. The government does not grant any licenses to churches or Christian associations, therefore, all church activities are considered not valid and unauthorised and prosecuted accordingly.
2. The government deems church activities to be “shaking the faith of the Muslim” which is illegal according to a law introduced in 2006.

Describing the situation for Algeria’s Christians as being quite difficult for a long time, the pastor said, “The problem now is that a lot of Christians are living in a very difficult situation in their spiritual life, in their walk with God and so many need help, they need pastoral care, they need counselling. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to receive them in the building.”

Sarah’s testimony

After Pastor Youssef finished his testimony his daughter Sarah, who was present in Geneva, addressed the delegates in person. She stated that she was “not only here to speak on behalf of my father, but also the broader community of over 100,000 indigenous Protestant Christians spread over fifty churches in Algeria.”

Sarah described what life used to be like for Christians in Algeria, where she grew up as a second-generation Algerian Christian. She said that Christians used to be able to enjoy living out their faith identity, be part of a community and have fellowship together. She also stated that the Algerian church was a very significant space of refuge during the civil war in the 1990s.

Sarah then contrasted the past with today’s situation, saying that while Article 51 of the Algerian constitution ensures freedom of religion or belief this is an illusion and not the reality Christians experience. Since January 2018 the government has increasingly been restricting religious liberties and clamping down on Christian activities. As a result, Christians and other religious minorities now live in constant fear of persecution and prosecution.

Sarah concluded her presentation by asking UN member states and the international NGO community to put pressure on the Algerian authorities to stop this systematic campaign against Christian churches and individuals. She said that the Algerian government should be urged to:

1. Drop all prosecution of Christians for exercising their religious rights
2. Renew the licence of the Evangelical Protestant Association [which had legal status before 2006]
3. Reopen all churches
4. Abolish discriminatory laws such as the ordinance of March 2006 under which the church closures have been occurring

For more information on Algeria, see the Algeria Country Profile.

Watch:

15:35 Pastor Youssef Ourahmane’s testimony

23:34 Sarah Ourahmane’s testimony