Algerian Police Arrest Twelve Christians During Worship Service
Algerian police raided a worship service on September 4 at the House of Refuge, a shelter for vulnerable women and families in L'Ayaida, near Oran, arresting all twelve Christians present. Officers seized Christian literature, phones, and identification cards. Women were released for questioning the next morning, while men were held until late that evening, with some not released until 3 a.m. Authorities cited Ordinance 06-03, an Algerian law that criminalizes non-Muslim collective worship held outside a state approved framework and carries penalties of two to five years in prison along with steep fines.
The shelter had operated a worship hall until authorities ordered its administrative closure in 2019, but Christians had continued meeting for services in a separate apartment on the property. Open Doors says nearly all of the 47 churches affiliated with the Protestant Church of Algeria have received closure orders or been sealed by authorities, and that more than 50 Christians have faced prosecution for their faith in recent years. Algerian officials have reportedly appointed envoys to discuss replacing the Protestant Church of Algeria with a government controlled association to oversee worship under stricter state conditions.
