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Speak out for Algerian Christians' right to believe

On 25 May 2011 Karim Siaghi from Oran, Algeria, was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 200,000 Algerian dinars (approx. £1,700). On 22 May the Governor of Béjaïa Province, Algeria, ordered all churches of the Protestant Church of Algeria in his area to close.

A further violation of Algerian Christians' right to freedom of religion is Ordinance 06-03, a law regulating the religious activities of non-Muslims. Read more »

Ordinance 06-03 regulates the religious activities of non-Muslims. It prohibits any Christian activity from taking place outside of state-recognised church buildings and bans evangelistic material and attempts to evangelise Muslims. The law has been used to justify the detention of Christians and orders to close churches. Breaking the law can result in fines of up to one million dinars (£8,370) and a maximum of five years in prison.

Learn more about the situation in Algeria and Karim's case » Algerian Christians protest about Ordinance 06-03

Algerian Christians have protested against Ordinance 06-03 but they need you to add your voice today. Please write to the Algerian Ambassador below expressing your concern about Karim's sentence and Ordinance 06-03. Please fill in your details below. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.
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His Excellency Mr Amar Abba
Ambassador
Embassy of Algeria
54 Holland Park
London
W11 3RS

Subject

Your Excellency

The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1989. Article 18 of this Covenant guarantees freedom of religion and belief for all human beings without discrimination. Further, the Constitution of Algeria guarantees fundamental freedoms and human rights to all Algerian citizens. Despite these positive provisions, I recently learned that on 22 May 2011, Mr. Hamou Touhami, the Governor of Béjaïa Province, ordered the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) to close all of its seven churches in the province. This order referred to Ordinance 06-03, which regulates non-Muslim worship. This Ordinance discriminates against certain religions and thus violates Algeria's commitments under the ICCPR.

Further, I would like to highlight the case of Karim Siaghi from Oran, who was accused of proselytism and blasphemy. On 25 May 2011, he was found guilty and received the maximum sentence of five years in prison and a 200,000 Algerian dinar fine for giving his neighbour a CD with Christian material on it. I am shocked by this sentence and trust that the Supreme Court will overturn the ruling and acquit Karim Siaghi of all charges, thereby showing that Algeria guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of expression for all its citizens.

I respectfully petition you to seek the intervention of the Algerian authorities to ensure that all citizens in Algeria can enjoy the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief as laid down in the Constitution and in more detail in the ICCPR. I also kindly request that you ask his Excellency, the President of Algeria, to rescind Ordinance 06-03 without delay, as it severely limits the activities of members of non-Muslim religions in Algeria.

Thank you for your time and attention.

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