The organisation linking 45 Protestant churches, l’Eglise Protestante d’Algérie (EPA), called on the Algerian Government on 18 May to lift its measure for closing down churches, and to give equal treatment under the Maghreb country’s constitution.
‘As full citizens, we call on the highest authorities in the country to ensure that all the fundamental rights of the citizen are protected, regardless of their religious affiliation’, said EPA in a statement.
Six churches have been closed over the past few months, with the latest two being closed at the end of May.
Registering without response
EPA had been officially recognised by the government since 1974. But in 2012 new laws meant that it had to re-register. Despite meeting all the legal requirements and applying for re-registration in 2013, the EPA is yet to receive a response, meaning, technically, it lacks official legal status.
EPA denounced this as an ‘injustice’ against its communities. It said ‘the churches located in Ain-Turk, Layaida, and Oran-city, were sealed off as directed by the Prefect of Oran, respectively on 17 November 2017 and on 27 February 2018, at the same time as two women’s associations – thanks to the mobilisation of civil society – have been authorised to re-open their doors. But, strangely, not the Christian religious associations,’ in a statement signed by the President of EPA, Pastor Mahmoud Haddad.
The Algerian Government has been criticised for discrimination against the country’s Christian minority. Churches and individual Christians have faced increased restrictions in recent months, raising concerns that these pressures signal a ‘coordinated campaign of intensified action against churches by the governing authorities’, according to Christian advocacy group Middle East Concern.
