{"id":48316,"date":"2024-05-02T21:22:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T20:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=48316"},"modified":"2025-06-13T15:29:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T13:29:46","slug":"algerian-appeals-court-upholds-pastors-conviction-for-illegal-worshipping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef","title":{"rendered":"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"48316\" class=\"elementor elementor-48316\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4e2e7e2c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4e2e7e2c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1f1d6cd\" data-id=\"1f1d6cd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-247fc9fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"247fc9fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><span class=\"TextRun SCXW71962206 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW71962206 BCX0\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">Christian<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">convert and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">Pastor Youssef<\/span> Ourahmane&#8217;s <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">convict<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">ion and prison sentence upheld for th<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">e so-called crime of <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">\u201cillegal worshipping\u201d <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">for leading his<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\"> church<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW52566251 BCX0\">. <\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW52566251 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/li><li><span class=\"TextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\">ADF International <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\">advocating for his <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW34760172 BCX0\">aquittal<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\">, <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\">supporting<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\"> the legal <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW34760172 BCX0\">defence<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34760172 BCX0\"> of the persecuted across the globe. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW34760172 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-258d9d5a elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"258d9d5a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef-1024x576.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-48327\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-378b28df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"378b28df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ALGERIA<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (2 May 2024) The Court of Appeal in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria has upheld the conviction of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d against Christian convert and church leader in Algeria, Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, for leading the Emmanuel Church in Algeria. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pastor Youssef, who was born into a Muslim home but converted as a student to Christianity, was sentenced to 2 years\u2019 imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Algerian dinars on 2 July 2023 for his involvement as the leader of his church, although authorities could provide no evidence of a crime. In November, 2023, his prison sentence was reduced from 2 years to 1 year. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pastor Youssef appealed the conviction for a second time to the Appellate Court in Tizi Ouzo, Algeria. Last week, the court upheld the conviction and added an additional 6 months of suspended prison time to his sentence of 1 year imprisonment and fines of 100,000 Algerian dinars. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe are deeply disappointed to learn that the Court of Appeal in Tizi Ouzou did not overturn Pastor Youssef Ourahmane&#8217;s conviction or reduce his sentence,\u201d said Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International. \u201cNo one should be punished, let alone face prison, for exercising their right to religious freedom. The decision of the Appellate Court to uphold Pastor Youssef\u2019s conviction and sentence amounts to a blatant violation of his rights under both Algerian and international law and must be condemned. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court of Algeria will hear Pastor Youssef\u2019s case and finally and fully acquit him so that he can resume his duties as a pastor. The international community must continue to advocate for the rights of all Algerians to freely live out their faith and worship in community without fear of persecution.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ADF International is coordinating with other NGOs to support Pastor Youssef and his right to worship freely with international advocacy and to raise his case with government officials from over 40 countries.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-42df7c76 elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"42df7c76\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #AF272F\">\u201cNo one should be punished, let alone face prison, for exercising their right to religious freedom. The decision of the Appellate Court to uphold Pastor Youssef\u2019s conviction and sentence amounts to a blatant violation of his rights under both Algerian and international law and must be condemned. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court of Algeria will hear Pastor Youssef\u2019s case and finally and fully acquit him so that he can resume his duties as a pastor. The international community must continue to advocate for the rights of all Algerians to freely live out their faith and worship in community without fear of persecution.\u201d \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">- Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-162f105b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"162f105b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Background<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2fa67084 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2fa67084\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pastor Youssef Ourahmane, who has been leading Christian congregations in Algeria for over 30 years, appealed his conviction for illegal worshipping in his church on 26<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> March 2024, the date of his 36<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> wedding anniversary. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pastor Youssef is one of the leading figures in the <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00c8glise Protestante d&#8217;Alg\u00e9rie<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (EPA), the Evangelical Protestant group whose 43 churches have been forcibly closed by the Authorities since 2019, leaving only one with its doors open today. Over the past five years, security police in Algeria who received orders from the Ministry of Interior, systematically went around the churches and claimed that alleged \u201chealth and safety\u201d concerns meant that they were justified in putting locks over the doors and declaring the worship inside to be illegal. In one case, they physically beat a Pastor in front of his young child because he was peacefully protesting against the closure of his church.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pastor Youssef has been defending himself in court for his peaceful Christian activities since 2008. He claims that he is just the latest person out of 50 Christians to have been convicted by the Courts over the past few years, under the vague offenses of \u201cshaking the faith\u201d of Muslims, illegal worship, or embezzling of tithing donations. The convictions are thought to be a reaction to the fact that the government been concerned about the large numbers of local Christian converts in the country. \u201cIn the 1970s\u201d, he said, \u201cthe government gave out licenses to churches which were largely full of expats. Today, the government is concerned that our churches are almost entirely filled with large numbers of Algerian converts and they therefore want to suppress the spread of the gospel among us\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On 27<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">March 2024, a different Pastor and four Elders from the church also appealed their three-year prison sentences and fines of 200,000 Algerian dinars.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5a0c48 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d5a0c48\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Religious persecution in Algeria <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-456b41f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"456b41f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscirf.gov\/release-statements\/uscirf-welcomes-release-state-departments-2022-international-religious-freedom\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Algeria<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fis home to nearly 43 million people, with 99% of the population identifying as Sunni Muslim. Christians fall into the 1% of religious minorities. Islam is the official state religion, but Algeria\u2019s constitution recognizes the right of all to worship and speak freely. The Algerian government limits religious freedom and expression through the enforcement of laws, including egregious blasphemy and anti-proselytism laws, which intentionally target and violate the religious freedom rights of Christians and other religious minorities.\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Algeria\u2019s penal and information codes criminalize blasphemy, with punishments including imprisonment for up to five years and fines. The Criminal Code also censors publications by prohibiting content that is \u201ccontrary to Islamic morals\u201d. In particular, the government has systematically cracked down on the Evangelical Protestant Church, of which Pastor Soudad is a member and leader, through church closures and raids.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Violations of the rights of religious minorities are in violation of both international and domestic law. Algeria is a signatory to major human rights treaties, committing it to upholding the rights to freedom of religion and expression.\u202f\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Governments and the international community have highlighted the ongoing plight of religious minorities in Algeria. USCIRF advised in its\u202f<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/2024%20annual%20report\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">2024 Annual Report<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fthat the country be recommended for the State Department\u2019s \u201cSpecial Watch List\u201d for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. In 2021, several U.S. Senators sent a\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/us-senators-call-for-action-on-increased-religious-persecution-in-algeria\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">letter<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fto Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on him to address the increased persecution of religious minorities in Algeria.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In addition to Pastor Youssef, ADF International also advocated for the release of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/algerian-christian-released\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Hamid Soudad<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">a Christian-convert and leader in the Evangelical Church of Algeria, who was finally released from prison following a five-year ordeal.\u202fIn January 2021, Soudad was arrested, convicted, and sentenced in an expedited trial to five years in prison for allegedly insulting Islam and the Prophet Muhammad through a cartoon he shared on Facebook in 2018.\u202fHe was finally released from prison in 2023 following advocacy from ADF International and other religious freedom leaders from across the globe.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-488eb6c2 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"488eb6c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5fec6577 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5fec6577\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Images for free use in print or online in relation to this story only.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4fe63a7c elementor-widget elementor-widget-gallery\" data-id=\"4fe63a7c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;aspect_ratio&quot;:&quot;1:1&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;gallery_layout&quot;:&quot;grid&quot;,&quot;columns&quot;:4,&quot;columns_tablet&quot;:2,&quot;columns_mobile&quot;:1,&quot;gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;link_to&quot;:&quot;file&quot;,&quot;overlay_background&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;content_hover_animation&quot;:&quot;fade-in&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery__container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Kelsey-Zorzi.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4fe63a7c\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Kelsey-Zorzi\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDgzMjIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDVcL0tlbHNleS1ab3J6aS5qcGciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiI0ZmU2M2E3YyJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Kelsey-Zorzi.jpg\" data-width=\"400\" data-height=\"400\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4fe63a7c\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Pastor Youssef\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDgzMjcsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDVcL1Bhc3Rvci1Zb3Vzc2VmLmpwZWciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiI0ZmU2M2E3YyJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef-1024x576.jpeg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"576\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Image-13.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4fe63a7c\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Image (13)\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDgzMzcsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDVcL0ltYWdlLTEzLmpwZyIsInNsaWRlc2hvdyI6IjRmZTYzYTdjIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Image-13-1024x768.jpg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"768\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Image.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"4fe63a7c\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Algeria Appeals Court\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDgzMzIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDVcL0ltYWdlLnBuZyIsInNsaWRlc2hvdyI6IjRmZTYzYTdjIn0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Image-1024x768.png\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"768\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christian convert and Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction and prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":48327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,1124,221,1085,27],"class_list":["post-48316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-algeria","tag-global-religious-freedom","tag-kelsey-zorzi","tag-pastor-youssef-ourahamane","tag-religious-freedom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Algerian pastor convicted of &quot;illegal worshipping&quot;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christian convert, Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction, prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/pastor-youssef\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christian convert and Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction and prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ADF International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-02T20:22:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-13T13:29:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Christian convert and Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction and prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\"},\"headline\":\"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-02T20:22:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T13:29:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef\"},\"wordCount\":1132,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Algeria\",\"global religious freedom\",\"Kelsey Zorzi\",\"Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\",\"Religious freedom\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef\",\"name\":\"Algerian pastor convicted of \\\"illegal worshipping\\\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-02T20:22:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-13T13:29:46+00:00\",\"description\":\"Christian convert, Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction, prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Pastor Youssef\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/\",\"name\":\"ADF International\",\"description\":\"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"width\":175,\"height\":106,\"caption\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/adfintl\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adfinternational\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/adfinternational\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\",\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Philipp Bues\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/author\/pbuesadfinternational-org\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Algerian pastor convicted of \"illegal worshipping\"","description":"Christian convert, Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction, prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/pastor-youssef","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d","og_description":"Christian convert and Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction and prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.","og_url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef","og_site_name":"ADF International","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","article_published_time":"2024-05-02T20:22:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-13T13:29:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Philipp Bues","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d","twitter_description":"Christian convert and Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction and prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.","twitter_creator":"@adfintl","twitter_site":"@adfintl","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Philipp Bues","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef"},"author":{"name":"Philipp Bues","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141"},"headline":"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d","datePublished":"2024-05-02T20:22:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T13:29:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef"},"wordCount":1132,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg","keywords":["Algeria","global religious freedom","Kelsey Zorzi","Pastor Youssef Ourahamane","Religious freedom"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef","name":"Algerian pastor convicted of \"illegal worshipping\"","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg","datePublished":"2024-05-02T20:22:30+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-13T13:29:46+00:00","description":"Christian convert, Pastor Youssef Ourahamane\u2019s conviction, prison sentence upheld for the so-called crime of \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d for leading his church.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Pastor-Youssef.jpeg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Pastor Youssef"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/pastor-youssef#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Algerian appeals court upholds pastor\u2019s conviction for \u201cillegal worshipping\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","name":"ADF International","description":"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization","name":"Alliance Defending Freedom International","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","width":175,"height":106,"caption":"Alliance Defending Freedom International"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","https:\/\/x.com\/adfintl","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adfinternational","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/adfinternational\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141","name":"Philipp Bues","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","caption":"Philipp Bues"},"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/author\/pbuesadfinternational-org"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}