There are an estimated 25,000 Christians in Algeria. They are a tiny minority but their numbers have been growing rapidly as many from a Muslim background, particularly Berbers, have become Christians.

Christians are closely surveyed by security services and occasionally checked by the police. Most of the harassment Christians face, however, is from family members, relatives, and the wider social (and religious) environment. In practice non-Muslim believers are pressurised to halt their activities.

The Algerian Constitution affirms Islam as the state religion, but also provides for freedom of conscience, opinion, expression and assembly - and therefore impliedly (although not explicitly) freedom of religion. Although Algeria is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), in which freedom of religion or belief is enshrined, blasphemy laws have been used to punish theological dissent or non-observance among Muslims, and been invoked against Christians as well. Ordinance 06-03 is used to intimidate and detain Christians.

On 25 May Karim Siaghi (also spelled as Siaghi Krimo) was charged by a criminal court in Oran, west of Algiers, for insulting Muhammad. Karim had given his neighbour a Christian CD, the neighbour subsequently filed a complaint accusing Karim of attempting to convert him to Christianity. The judge passed sentence in the absence of the only witness and without any evidence being heard. The judge handed down the maximum sentence rather than the minimum that the prosecutor had recommended: five years in prison, not two, plus a fine of £1,700 in place of £425.

Karim, who has a wife and baby daughter, is not required to serve his prison sentence until the court hears his appeal and upholds the conviction. His appeal was postponed multiple times and has again been postponed.

Since 2008, approximately ten Algerian Christians have faced court hearings but Karim and one other are the only individuals who have received verdicts, while the other charged Algerians named below remain in a state of uncertainty.

Ordinance 06-03 was issued in 2006 to regulate the exercise of religious worship other than Islam. The Ordinance forbids attempts to convert a Muslim to another religion or even to 'shake the faith of a Muslim', although it does not forbid conversion as such. Under the Ordinance Algerians can be fined up to 1 million dinars (£8,370) and sentenced to five years in prison for printing, storing or distributing materials intended to convert Muslims.

The Ordinance limits the full exercise of freedom of religion to officially registered structures. Only church officials ordained in Algeria are allowed to preach the gospel. All churches had six months to register and comply with the Ordinance but in reality the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) has found it almost impossible to get church buildings officially registered due to lack of information, bureaucratic processes or resistance to their applications.

EPA churches still need to be registered individually but in July 2011, after 35 years of effort, there was a positive development when the government officially recognised the EPA.

No churches have closed since an Open Doors campaign was launched when almost half of the Algerian churches were ordered to close in 2007-2008.

Now is the time to pray and campaign once again - and trust God for a similar result - as below are some examples of the intimidation and confusion that still exists on account of Ordinance 06-03:

9 January 2010: in a protest against a new church building, locals started to vandalise it, burning anything that they could, including furniture, appliances, Bibles, hymnbooks and a cross.

September 2010: a court in Tizi Ouzou ordered a local church to stop construction on an extension to its building and to tear it down.

23 April 2011: plain-clothed police officers ordered a church to close down within 48 hours. The Pastor refused to comply.

22 May 2011: the governor of Béjaïa sent a statement to Mustapha Krim, president of the EPA, informing him that all seven churches in the province were illegal according to Ordinance 06-03 because they were unregistered. He also stated that all churches "in all parts of the country" will be closed for lack of compliance with registration regulations. Christian leaders dismissed this assertion as the provincial official does not have nationwide authority.

To begin the day in Parliament the Algerian church leaders were warmly received by Alistair Burt MP, Foreign Office Minister for North Africa and the Middle East. After a positive meeting, Mr. Burt promised ongoing action by the UK government.

In the evening there was a very encouraging public briefing in Parliament on Religious Freedom in Algeria. It was hosted by Naomi Long MP and attended by a good number of MPs with many more requesting our briefing paper. It is clear that the emails which so many Open Doors supporters sent to their MPs had really made a difference.

The MPs were keen to take further action, which resulted in an Early Day Motion (2371) on Religious Freedom in Algeria. All this activity has helped to amplify the issues faced by the persecuted church in Algeria. The Algerian church leaders were glad of this opportunity to call for freedom and expressed deep gratitude for the 4,721 Open Doors campaigners who had taken the trouble to email the Algerian Ambassador.