Algerian Authorities Enforce Religious Persecution in Marwan Melouk Case

On the 17th of November 2025 Algerian national Marwan Melouk, born on May 17, 1978, in Batna, Algeria; was arrested and kept in detention for interrogation. He has remained in pre-trial detention since November 2025, and no trial date has been set.

Marwan Melouk

A resident in Tipaza Province, Marwan is married, the father of two children, and is employed as a security guard. A former Sunni Muslim, he converted to The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in 2018. Following his conversion, he became actively involved in the Algerian Ahmadi community. His activities included managing social media platforms directed at Algerian believers and participating extensively in online Telegram groups associated with the faith. 

On the 15th of November 2025, Marwan Melouk was formally served a summons by the Algerian National Gendarmerie in Oum El Bouaghi Province, requiring him to appear for questioning before judicial authorities. By the 17th of November 2025, Marwan was interrogated by the Algerian National Gendarmerie in Oum El Bouaghi. The questioning focused explicitly on his religious beliefs and his connections to other believers. He was accused of receiving funds from supporters in Algeria through his postal account. 

Believers of The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light are frequently prosecuted under Article 46 of the Law on Associations and Article 144 bis 2 of the Algerian Penal Code, which criminalize participation in unregistered associations and penalize acts deemed to “offend the Prophet or denigrate the dogma or precepts of Islam.” These provisions impose severe penalties, including imprisonment and substantial fines, and are routinely used to suppress religious minorities whose beliefs diverge from the state-sanctioned interpretation of Islam. As a result, religious minorities in Algeria face significant barriers to worship, assembly, and peaceful expression of faith. This legal and institutional framework directly contributed to the detention of Marwan Melouk. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to manifest one’s religion individually or in community with others, in public or private. Although Algeria formally recognizes the ICCPR within its constitutional framework, these protections are not implemented in practice, leading to the systematic suppression and persecution of religious minorities. 

In the period preceding his arrest, Marwan experienced financial hardship. Fellow believers in Algeria voluntarily provided him with personal financial assistance to help him address accumulated debts. These private acts of solidarity were later mischaracterized by the authorities and used as a pretext to fabricate criminal accusations against him, notably the charge of “collecting donations without prior authorization,” in order to justify his arrest based on his religious affiliation. 

During his interrogation, the questioning focused explicitly on his religious beliefs and his connections to other believers. He was accused of receiving funds from supporters in Algeria through his postal account. After affirming that he was a believer in The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, his mobile phone was immediately confiscated, and a search of his private property was ordered. These actions demonstrate that his religious affiliation was a central and motivating factor behind the measures taken against him. 

Marwan was questioned about how he knew the individuals who had sent him money. He explained that they were fellow believers and that the funds consisted of voluntary assistance intended to help him pay accumulated debts. Despite this explanation, authorities proceeded with the charges and summoned several individuals who had provided him with financial support. At least two of these individuals denied knowing Marwan, denied any association with The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, and publicly renounced their beliefs. These statements were made under apparent fear of arrest or punishment. Following these developments, Marwan was placed in prison pending investigation for a period of no less than four months. He remains imprisoned to this day causing severe emotional and psychological distress to his family. Following the interrogation, Marwan contacted his wife to inform her that he had been detained pending investigation and that legal representation was required. His children, who had not seen their father for over a month due to his work as a security guard, had been awaiting his return. His sudden detention placed the family in a state of fear, instability, and ongoing insecurity. After his arrest, Marwan’s wife and children were subjected to takfīr (excommunication) and social ostracism by local members of society, including relatives. Upon learning of his religious beliefs and detention, many reproached the family and withdrew all forms of assistance, stating, “This is the result of your departure from the religion of your fathers and grandfathers.” This treatment constitutes persecution by non-state actors, which the Algerian authorities have proven unwilling to prevent.

The summoning and interrogation of individuals who provided Marwan with financial assistance, and the subsequent public renunciation of faith by some of them, illustrate a broader climate of intimidation and repression targeting members of The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Algeria. This environment of fear directly contributes to prolonged detentions and obstructs due process. 

Marwan was formally charged with: 

● Collecting donations without prior authorization, and 

● The misdemeanor of money laundering within the framework of an organized criminal group, pursuant to Article 389 bis (2) of the Penal Code and Articles 1 and 8 of the Law on the Collection of Donations. 

Translation of Court Summons 

People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria 

Ministry of National Defense 

National Gendarmerie Command 

Fifth Regional Command of the National Gendarmerie – Constantine Provincial Grouping of the National Gendarmerie – Batna Regional Brigade of the National Gendarmerie – Bir El Ater Investigation Unit of the National Gendarmerie – Bir El Ater 

Reference No.: 25 / 1720 / 2 

Date: 15 November 2025 

SUMMONS 

Person Required to Appear: 

Mr. Marwan Melouk 

Date of Birth: 

13 May 1978, Bir El Ater, Tebessa Province 

Son of: 

Youssef 

Mother: 

Malaz Zineb 

Address: 

Tachourine District, Neighborhood 1500 Housing Units, Municipality of Bir El Ater National 

Identity Card: 

No. 402600331, issued on 10 August 2022 by the Municipality of Bir El Ater 

Mr. Marwan Melouk is hereby required to present himself before the Criminal Investigation Service on 15 November 2025 at 08:00 a.m. 

Reason: 

Judicial matter under investigation. 

Documents to be brought: 

– Unit summons 

– National identity card 

Issued at Bir El Ater, on 15 November 2025 (Official stamp and signature of the National Gendarmerie)