Slimane Bouhafs, a 49-year-old Christian in Algeria, has been sentenced to five years in prison and fined for blaspheming Islam and Prophet Muhammad in a social media post.
He was arrested July 31 in the Muslim country for a post on social media about Jesus overcoming what he called the “lie” of Islam and its prophet. The post also included images of an Islamist terrorist executing a civilian.
For “blasphemy,”Algerian law requires a penalty of three to five years in prison, along with a heavy fine. Bouhafs was given the maximum sentence.
Bouhafs’ 27-year-old son, Larbi, attended the sentence, which was handed down earlier this week.
Bouhafs is pretty well-known throughout Algeria as a political activist, so there is a belief that he was targeted in an effort to silence him and make him an example.
There is also concern because his family says he suffers from a chronic illness, and they are not convinced that he will be properly cared for while in prison.
The Protestant Church of Algeria’s lawyer will file an appeal of the verdict.
