Five Jehovah's Witnesses Sentenced to Two Years in Jail in Algeria for Sharing Their Faith

[dljbsp]

https://bitterwinter.org/five-jehovahs-witnesses-sentenced-to-two-years-in-jail-in-algeria-for-sharing-their-faith/

On December 2, 2024, the Tizi Ouzou Court in Algeria sentenced five Jehovah’s Witnesses to two years in prison and fined them 100,000 Algerian dinars each. They were convicted of “inciting a Muslim to change religion” and “undermining national unity.” The court’s decision was influenced by Algeria’s 2006 law (06-09), which restricts proselytism and is considered by some to be inconsistent with international human rights principles that protect freedom of religion and belief. The ruling also misinterpreted Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teachings, suggesting that their beliefs pose a threat to state stability, a claim that has been contested by religious freedom advocates.

[Jim Jam]

They will continue to share the faith in prison

[Osprey]

They got assigned to new territory 

[Dustparticle]

 I wonder how far will it spread in their local media? If so, it will give a witness. 

[Cool.As.Ice]

I believe they’ve been there since Algeria was a French colony. They’ve been under ban for a long time

[Jim Jam]

follow up: https://www.elkhabar.com/fr/actualite/proces-des-temoins-de-jehovah-l-algerie-repond-a-des-rapporteurs-onusiens-260402

 

[Michał]

On 1/12/2026 at 7:54 AM, Jim Jam said:

follow up: https://www.elkhabar.com/fr/actualite/proces-des-temoins-de-jehovah-l-algerie-repond-a-des-rapporteurs-onusiens-260402

 

I can’t access it because of Cloudflare. Summary anyone?

[Mike047]

The Algerian government has stated that the trial of members of a missionary cell affiliated with the sect known as ‘Jehovah's Witnesses’, including two French nationals arrested in May 2024 in Tizi Ouzou for proselytising, was conducted in strict compliance with the legal guarantees and rights enshrined in the Constitution and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

In its response dated early July to the concerns raised by the UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of peaceful assembly, minority rights, and freedom of religion or belief on 1 May, the government emphasised that no appeal or complaint had been lodged by the convicted persons or their defence counsel concerning any procedural violation.

The same response states that, following the confirmation of the first instance judgment on appeal, the passports of the individuals concerned will be returned by the security services of the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou, in preparation for their expulsion from the national territory, in accordance with the administrative procedures in force. It also indicated that administrative expulsion proceedings would be initiated against them in accordance with the laws governing the entry and stay of foreigners in Algeria, and that the removal decision would be enforced by returning them to the border under security escort in order to ensure full compliance with the court ruling.

The five members of this cell, including two French nationals (one residing in Algeria), were sentenced last March by a court in Tizi Ouzou to two years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars each on charges of inciting people to embrace a religion other than Islam and undermining national unity, in accordance with Article 11 of the law governing the practice of non-Muslim religions and Article 79 of the Penal Code.

The case file mentions that the security services had received a report concerning a French citizen suspected of having formed a Christian cell affiliated with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Investigations identified this individual, who was a businessman, as the head of a company specialising in foreign language teaching based in Oran.

According to the Algerian response, this individual travelled to several localities in the wilaya of Tizi Ouzou — Boghni, Draâ Ben Khedda, Larbaâ Nath Irathen, Azazga, Tizi Rached, Bouzeguène — accompanied by his associate, an active member of the Jehovah's Witnesses organisation, which is present in the United States, France and North Africa.

It was found that the accused was in contact with several Christians, including a Franco-Algerian, and that his presence in Algeria was part of a mission entrusted to him by the leaders of this sect, which the authorities describe as radical and operating clandestinely.

The authorities also claim that the defendant concealed his religious activities under the guise of commercial activities through his company in Oran, a method already used by other foreign missionaries.

The five suspects appeared before the public prosecutor at the Tizi Ouzou court on 2 June 2024, where they were notified of the same charges. The investigating judge then decided to place them under judicial supervision and confiscate their passports.

On 22 October 2024, the court handed down a sentence of two years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 DZD, as well as the return of the seized documents. This judgment was upheld on appeal on 11 March 2025 by the Court of Tizi Ouzou.

In response to concerns expressed by the UN rapporteurs about the state of health of the accused, the Algerian side gave assurances that the individuals concerned had not been imprisoned and that no complaints had been recorded regarding their conditions. It stated that it was prepared to provide any additional information on this subject.

Furthermore, Algeria refused to comment on certain recurring remarks made by the rapporteurs in previous reports of the UN Human Rights Council, in particular those concerning the use of anti-proselytism laws to prosecute individuals simply exercising their religious freedom, and allegations of unfair trials that do not comply with international standards under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in particular Articles 18 and 19.

Jehovah's Witnesses at a glance

Jehovah's Witnesses are a non-Trinitarian Christian movement that does not recognise other Christian denominations. They prefer to be referred to as ‘Jehovah's Witnesses’ to distinguish themselves from other churches.

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This is a fair translation