Two Christian brothers transporting some 50 Bibles in their car received a hefty fine from the Algerian government after prosecutors claimed they planned to use the Bibles for proselytism, reports World Watch Monitor.
Nouredine Khalil and Belabbes Khalil, members of the Protestant Church of Algeria denied the charges, were found with the Bibles when authorities stopped their car in 2015 and were subsequently arrested.
They deny the charges of proselytism, saying the Bibles were only to be used in a church led by Nouredine.
On March 8, the courts fined the Khalils 100,000 dinar each ($900) on the grounds that the Khalils had violated an Algerian law from 2006 banning the distribution of materials that might be used to sway Muslims from their faith. Algeria, with a population of just over 40 million, is 99 percent Muslim and home to only around 100,000 Christians.
Back in December 2017, a judge decided that the brothers should go to prison for two years and pay a fine of 50,000 dinar ($450) each. However, they appealed the case following the sentencing and the prison time was dropped by the appeal judge. Their fines, however, doubled and they also received a three-month suspension.
The verdict followed a series of church shutdowns in Algeria that Christians decried as persecution. The government, however, denied that these orders are part of a crackdown on those who practice religions other than Islam. Mohamed Aissa, the Minister of Religious Affairs, clarified that the closing down of the churches was due to code and standard violations.
"When a place of worship is built without any notice showing it's a place of worship, which may enable the state to protect it, this place must be closed," the minister said in a statement.
