An Algerian court has handed down a five year sentence to a Christian for ‘blasphemy,’ according to a report from International Christian Concern.
Charges were laid against Siagh Krimo by his neighbour because Krimo shared his faith with him by giving him a Christian CD. The neighbour accused Krim of proselytising and making defamatory statements against the prophet Muhammad.
The court tried Krimo based solely on the complaint filed by his neighbor.
Krimo was charged under an article of the Algerian Penal Code that makes it a criminal offence to "insult the prophet" or "denigrate the creed and precepts of Islam". Krimo has ten days to appeal against the sentence.
Aidan Clay, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East, stated: "Algerian Christians have been under attack in recent weeks as laws have been increasingly enforced to discriminate against them.
"While Algeria professes that it upholds religious freedom, it also embraces a blasphemy law that, by its very nature, can be used to prosecute anyone who does not adhere to the religion of Islam.
"We urge Algeria to acquit Siagh of all charges and repeal Article 144 bis 2 of the Penal Code."
“He gave a CD to a neighbor, and for that he has to spend five years in prison,” said the president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), Mustapha Krim, trying to contain his disbelief. “The hearing went well, and the lawyer defended well, yet in the end the judge gave him the maximum punishment.”
Krim said that if the courts start interpreting the law as it did in Krimo’s case, then the future of Algeria’s Christians is bleak.
“If they start applying the law like that, it means there is no respect for Christianity,” Krim said, “and pretty soon all the Christians of Algeria will find themselves in prison. If the simple fact of giving a CD to your neighbor costs five years in prison, this is catastrophic.”
(Image depicts Algerian church).