ALGERIA: 4 CHRISTIANS SENTENCED ON PAROLE, 2 ACQUITTED
(ANSAmed) - ALGIERS, JUNE 3 - Four sentences on parole and
two acquittals. A hybrid ruling was pronounced today by the
court of Tiaret regarding six Christians accused of distributing
religious material "which threatens the Muslim faith". But
also, it can please the most fundamentalist currents and in the
meantime not damage irremediably the image of Algeria, which has
been in the spotlights of the local and international media for
days for the controversial trial against Habiba K., the young
woman converted to Christianity, who was accused of practising a
"non-Muslim cult without authorisation". Out of the six
Algerians, all of whom are Protestant Christians and are accused
of "distribution of religious material which threatens the
Muslim faith", four were sentenced to prison on parole, while
the other two were acquitted, as lawyer Kalloudjia Khalfoun told
ANSA. "If we had not had the international attention, I am sure
they would have been incarcerated," she added pointing out that
it is however "a grave sentence directed clearly against the
Christians".
"Why just the four of them who admitted to be Christians
were sentenced?" Khalfoun wonders. "All of them were accused
of the same crime and were arrested in the same occasion. For
this reason, tomorrow morning we will file an appeal".
The heaviest sentence, 6 months on parole and a 2,000-euro fine,
was passed against Rachid M., who converted to Christianity some
16 years ago and had already been found guilty of proselytism by
the court of Oran. The other three were sentenced to two months
on parole and a 1,000-euro fine. On June 18 the ruling in
another trial in Tissemsilet (50 km from Tiaret) which involves
the same Rachid M. - considered by the Algerian authorities the
head of the evangelical community of Tiaret (300 km west of
Algiers) - is expected. (ANSAmed).
2008-06-03 19:50