French President Macron’s Party Set To Revive “Christians’ File” In Algeria

The French Parliament, through President Emmanuel Macron’s party, has reiterated the rights of Christian minorities in Algeria, claiming that the Algerian authorities are exerting administrative pressures on Christian and Protestant churches, in addition to a number of trials and fines imposed on Christian clerics.
The file was returned to the agenda by a French MP namely Claire Obotti of the Republican Party, dated 26 February 2019, and addressed to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, whereby it was stated that “attention should be paid to administrative pressures exerted by the Algerian Government on places of Christian worship and Protestant churches”.
The MP requested accountability from the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France by urging it to intervene before the Algerian government to express concern about the respect of one of the fundamental rights of religious freedom.
The French MP also pointed out that the fact-finding committees sent by the Algerian authorities since November 2017 to the Protestant churches on the pretext of health check-outs, were followed by the closure of several churches in the provinces of Oran, Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou, in addition to legal proceedings brought against Christian clerics, while others were sentenced to a fine amounting to 20 million centimes in Dinars because of the import of Christian books, in addition to fining a priest with 100 thousand Dinars for proselytizing after Christian books were found in his car.
The French Foreign Ministry has meanwhile pledged that it will raise the issue of Christian minorities with its European partners in its planned meetings with Algerian officials, pointing out that the French Embassy in Algeria is closely following the situation of Christians and religious minorities in the country while confirming that its diplomatic representation there is well appraised of this file.