Christian Advocacy group Open Doors said authorities detained the man after he gave a Bible to an undercover police agent who posed as someone interested in Christianity. The Algerian Christian’s name was not revealed, apparently because of security reasons.
The sentencing this week by a court in the town of Tiaret, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of the capital Algiers is the result of new legislation prohibiting "trying to call on a Muslim to embrace another religion."
CHRISTIAN EVANGELISTS
Commentators claim the law in this North African nation is in response to Christian evangelists and missionary workers spreading Christianity in several parts of the country The president of the Protestant Church of Algeria, Mustapha Krim, said the Christian plans to appeal the ruling, which he claimed violates the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Krim’s predecessor, 74-year-old American citizen Hugh Johnson, reportedly left Algeria on March 26 after being ordered to leave the previous month. His appeal remains before an Algerian court
Open Doors said the cases comes as authorities continue to order church closures. “Already 26 of the 50 Protestant churches in Algeria have been summoned to close, but not all churches obey the order,” said Open Doors which is in contact with the allegedly persecuted Christians.
Under Algerian law almost all Algerian churches are apparently "illegal" as most Algerian Christians participating in them were born as Muslims.
