Source: www.persecution.org
Date: May 3, 2024
Algeria (International Christian Concern) — Pastor Youssef Ourahmane of Algeria is facing a year of imprisonment after the Tizi Ouzou Court of Appeals upheld his conviction on Thursday. Authorities charged Ourahmane with practicing “unauthorized worship” in his role as vice president of the Evangelical Protestant Association of Algeria (EPA) and his service as senior pastor and overseer of several churches and Bible schools in Algeria.
Pastor Ourahmane is a convert from Islam and has served the Christian community of Algeria for more than 30 years.
In March 2023, authorities investigated Pastor Ourahmane after a few Christians stayed at a church compound under his supervision during a school holiday. The compound includes a small church building that Algerian officials closed in 2019. Despite failing to notify the pastor, government authorities decided to investigate Pastor Ourahmane for conducting worship in an unauthorized location.
In September 2023, Ourahmane learned of his court hearing and conviction in absentia of two years imprisonment and a fine of roughly $725. In November 2023, his sentence was reduced to one year after the pastor appealed.
The targeted harassment of Pastor Ourahmane is nothing new for Algerian Christians. Despite having existed in Algeria for centuries, the government views Christianity as a threat to the Algerian Islamic identity. Authorities are making every attempt to regulate the church into non-existence.
Algeria is estimated to have between 20,000 and 200,000 Christians, with Protestants being the fastest-growing group. The EPA consists of 45 churches spread across the country, most of which have been closed by the Algerian government.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for greater religious freedom in Algeria. Pray for this pastor’s prison sentence to be overturned. Pray for godly leaders to rise to power across northern Africa.