TIARET, Algeria — An Algerian Christian was handed a two-year suspended sentence for "proselytism" April 9 amid an ongoing government crackdown on 26 of Algeria’s 50 Protestant congregations, a church leader said. A court in Tiaret, 150 miles southwest of Algiers, delivered the written verdict after convicting the Christian on April 2, said Mustapha Krim, president of the Protestant Church of Algeria. Prosecution of "proselytism" violates Article 18 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the inherent right to publicly manifest one’s faith.
The Christian plans to appeal the two-year suspended sentence and a fine of $1,540, Krim said. Because it is suspended, the man will not have to serve jail time unless he commits a repeat offense. According to Krim, authorities brought charges against the man after he reluctantly gave a Bible to an undercover police officer who pretended to be interested in Christianity and insisted he needed one.
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