Question 17381 — foreign policy

Summary

Ms. Claire O'Petit draws the attention of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to the administrative pressures of the Algerian government against the places of worship of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA). Indeed, since November 2017, committees representing the Algerian authorities have visited EPA churches under the pretext of health inspection. Thus, the three EPA churches in the willaya of Oran were sealed end of 2017 beginning of 2018 then reopened several months later with authorization from the governor of the province. However, a new church was sealed in June 2018 in Riki in the province of Bejaia. In October 2018, a new church was closed in Azhagar (Bejaia province), leaders of four churches in Tizi Ouzou province were summoned to the police center and five Christians prosecuted for proselytizing (they were acquitted in December 2018). On November 14, 2018, a new church in Aït Djemaa was ordered to cease its activities. In addition, a bookstore whose owner is Christian was also sealed, although the courts refuted the indictment of this person for illegal printing of Bibles and Christian brochures. In May 2018, a Christian was fined 20,000 dinars for importing illegal Christian material (a few books and a few objects) and was acquitted, against all expectations, in July 2018. A pastor was fined 100,000 dinars for proselytizing for the simple reason that several bibles were found in his car. Given these events, she therefore asks him if he intends to act with the Algerian government in order to express his vigilance regarding respect for the fundamental right of freedom of religion.

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