The Washington-DC based human rights group, International Christian Concern (ICC) with website www.persecution.org identified the six believers only as Rachid, Djallil, Sami, Abdelkader, Mohamed and Chabane. ICC said they have been accused of “distribution of religious material to convert Muslims” and “practice without authorization of non-Muslim worship.”
The public prosecutor reportedly asked the court in the town of Tiaret, some 400 kilometres west of the capital Algiers, to sentence each of the six Christians to two years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars ($8,000).
The prosecution alleged that the six Christians were gathered to worship at the house of Rachid, who is one of the defendants, said ICC, which is closely following the case. However the defendants have denied the charges and their defense lawyer has reportedly described the Christians as a “band of friends” who “have not taken into their possession or are in the process of distributing documents that undermine the faith of a Muslim.”
In addition, the apartment of Rachid was not as a place of worship, but as “a place of reunion for the group of friends,” the defense lawyer reportedly said. The court was due to make a ruling on Tuesday, June 3.
CASE POSTPONED
In a related development, Christian woman Habiba Qawider, who was charged with illegally practicing Christianity by carrying Christian literature on a public bus, was told by a court Wednesday, May 28, that the case required “supplementary investigation,” ICC said. The public prosecutor has asked for a three year prison term for Habiba and has ten days to appeal the decision of the court, trial observers said.
Her defense lawyer, Khelloudja Khalfoun, has denied his client was involved in religious wrongdoing. “There is no trace of a possible reason to try individuals for the ‘practice of non-Muslim worship without authorization,’” Khalfoun reportedly said.
The lawyer has reportedly criticized the court’s decision to further investigate, saying the judge is trying to buy time until the media shifts its attention elsewhere. Her case has drawn widespread criticism from local and international media and the court apparently under pressure to order further investigation due to the attention that the trial attracted, ICC suggested.
SPECIAL PERMITS
In Algeria, Christian churches must seek special permits from the Ministry for Religious Affairs to practise their activities. “You reinstate Islam and I will [drop the case]; if you persist in sin you will undergo the lightning of justice,” the prosecutor told Qawider in published remarks.
The latest reported trial is part of a wider crackdown against what the government regards as illegal Christian mission activities in the predominantly Muslim nation, which also saw the closure of over 20 churches, BosNewsLife learned.
ICC’s Regional Manager for Africa, Darara Gubo, said in a statement that, “The international community should step up its pressure on the government of Algeria so that the government stops interfering with the religious freedom of its Christian minorities.” The group said it has urged its supporters “pray” and to continue to call the Algerian embassies in their countries.
