Provincial official in Algeria orders churches to close

BEJAIA, Algeria — Seven Algerian churches faced closure after the governor of their province sent them written notice that they were operating “illegally.” The notice came May 22 from police Chief Ben Salma, citing a May 8 decree from the Bejaia province governor, and also states that all churches “in all parts of the country” will be closed for lack of compliance with registration regulations, but Christian leaders dismissed this assertion as the provincial official does not have nationwide authority.

The May 22 notice from the governor of Bejaia province in Kabylie region to the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (PCA) asserted that all churches in the province were illegal because they were unregistered. Registration is required under controversial Ordinance 06–03, but Christians report the government refuses to respond to or grant their applications for registration. The controversial law was introduced in 2006 to regulate non-Muslim worship. In 2008 the government applied measures in accordance with Ordinance 06–03 to limit the activities of non-Muslim groups, ordering the closure of 26 churches in the Kabylie region because they were not registered. No churches had been closed down since then. PCA members argue, however, that the law is impossible to implement as officials refuse to register their churches despite efforts to comply. They said authorities apply the law when they want to harass churches.