On the 27th of February, an Algerian Christian pastor, Rachid Seighir and his assistant Noah Hamami were condemned to two years of prison and to a fine of €3,190 in a legal hearing they did not even attend. Both of them appealed, and their situation will be decided on the 18th of April. 

Their judicial proceedings started back in 2017 when the police raided the bookshop of Rachid, where Noah works as a salesman, and they found some Christian books and Bibles. The two men were immediately charged under article 11.2 of the 2006 ordinance, which governs non-Muslim worship and stipulates that it is forbidden to “manufacture, store or distribute any document likely to undermine Muslims’ faith. ”

The local authorities immediately closed the shop, and the procedure was launched against the two men.

Source: Portes Ouvertes