Pastor arrested for ‘illegal worship’ urges churches to reopen

Algerian pastor Youssef Ourahmane, arrested and convicted for leading worship services in his home country, recently shared his experiences and highlighted the ongoing oppression of religious minorities in Algeria.

At an event organized by the legal group ADF International, Youssef, a Christian convert and leader in the Protestant Church of Algeria, advocated religious freedom and the reopening of evangelical churches that had been forcibly closed by Algerian authorities.

He recounted his arrest and conviction for the so-called crime of “illegal worship.”

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“We’ve had a lot of opposition,” he told the crowd. “In 2019, most evangelical churches in our country were closed. When the churches were closed, many Christians felt that something about their Christian faith had disappeared because the building had become part of their identity.”

Born into a Muslim family, Youssef converted to Christianity as a student and has been leading congregations for more than 30 years. Despite legal challenges and personal risks, he remains steadfast in his faith.

When asked why he is willing to undergo prison time, he replied: “God knows the number of hairs on my head, and none falls without His will. We must accept God’s will and God’s sovereignty. I do my best, by His grace, to be a good testimony to others.’

On July 2, 2023, Pastor Youssef was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars ($750) for leading the Emmanuel Church in Algeria. Although his prison sentence was reduced to one year in November 2023, the Court of Appeal in Tizi Ouzou confirmed his conviction in May and added another six-month suspended prison sentence.

“Despite their small numbers, Algeria has systematically worked to prevent the evangelical community from simply worshiping together,” Kelsey Zorzi, director of global religious freedom advocacy for ADF International, said at the event. “Pastor Youssef’s case is one of about fifty false cases against Christians in recent years. His advocacy over the years on behalf of the entire Evangelical Church in Algeria, even despite possible prison sentences, is a source of inspiration.”

ADF International says it is working with other non-governmental organizations to support Youssef, with the aim of raising his case with government officials from more than 40 countries. “The United States and the international community must take a strong stand against unlawful church closures and unjustified arrests and detentions of pastors,” Zorzi said.

Algeria, a country where 99% of its nearly 43 million residents identify as Sunni Muslim, has faced increasing restrictions on religious minorities. According to ADF International, the government enforces laws that restrict freedom and expression of religion, including blasphemy and anti-proselytism laws that target Christians and other minorities.

Since 2019, authorities have forcibly closed 43 churches affiliated with the Église Protestante d’Algérie (EPA), leaving only one open, according to ADF International. Security police, acting on orders from the Ministry of the Interior, have cited alleged violations of the “health and safety code” to justify locking church doors and declaring indoor worship illegal.

“In one case, they physically beat a pastor in front of his young child as he peacefully protested the closure of his church,” ADF International reported.

Youssef has also faced baseless criminal charges since 2008 for his peaceful Christian activities. He is among fifty Christians convicted of vague crimes such as ‘affecting the faith’ of Muslims, illegal worship or embezzling tithe donations.

“In the 1970s, the government issued permits to churches that were largely full of expats,” Youssef explained during the event. “Today the government is concerned that our churches are almost entirely filled with large numbers of Algerian converts.”

The crackdown has also affected small house churches.

According to 21 Wilberforce, “the government mandates that they can only have 10 people per gathering, forcing many house churches to operate underground. Church leaders who continue to hold services in Algeria are being threatened, and several have been arrested and prosecuted by the government.”

Open Doors International reported that as of the end of 2023, only four of the 47 churches under the Evangelical Protestant Church of Algeria remained open.

“The long history of Christianity in Algeria is under threat,” said 21 Wilberforce. “As the government closes churches and slows the registration process for religious groups, Algerian Christians are finding life increasingly difficult.”

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that Algeria be added to the U.S. State Department’s “Special Watch List” for serious violations of religious freedom. In its 2024 annual report, USCIRF highlighted the escalating repression of religious minorities in Algeria.

Violations of the rights of religious minorities violate both international and national law, ADF International said.