Pray for Algerian Believer Sentenced to Prison.

In our post on 7th August 2016, we asked for prayer for a Christian man in Algeria who was arrested on 31st July and accused of blasphemy against Islam. His”crime” was in  publishing a message on social media about the light of Jesus overcoming the lie of Islam and its Prophet, in the Kabylie area of Algeria.

The man was interrogated by the prosecutor on the day of his arrest (31st July) even though he did not have a lawyer and the court scheduled a hearing for him on 7th August.

Although his family and an Algerian secular human rights organisation appointed lawyers for him, the court claimed that he had decided to defend himself.

In the court hearing, he was given the maximum sentence for blasphemy in the Algerian penal code, five years’ imprisonment and a large fine. The Église Protestante d’Algérie (the EPA / Protestant Church of Algeria) intends to appeal against the verdict.

Christians in Algeria request our prayers prayers that:

• this man, his family and church will experience the peace of Jesus and the comfort of the Holy Spirit at this difficult time.
• he will be able to appeal against the verdict, will not be punished for blasphemy but instead will be released soon.
• the local authorities will cease attempts to intimidate Christians, and that the church in Algeria will grow and continue to witness throughout the country.
• there will be peace and justice in Algeria, and that Christians will be allowed their fundamental rights.

Psalm 146 vs 8: “The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.“

http://meconcern.org/en/