June 8 – Policy Day
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-201 | 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Coptic Solidarity’s 2026 Policy Day, “Egypt’s Theocratic Governance Backsliding: More Risks for Citizenship Rights, brought together Members of Congress, U.S. government officials, scholars, human rights advocates, and religious freedom experts for a day of discussion focused on religious freedom, equal citizenship, and democratic governance in Egypt and the broader Middle East.
The program featured remarks from government official policy experts, and regional specialists, as well as panel discussions examining the protection of indigenous heritage and sacred sites, the relationship between the Egyptian state and the Coptic community, the growing impact of state-managed religious governance on citizenship rights, and policy responses to religious persecution and restrictions on freedom of belief worldwide.
June 9 – CoptWatch Launch Briefing & Advocacy Day
Cannon House Office Building, Room 440 | 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
The conference will continue with the public launch of CoptWatch, Coptic Solidarity’s new open-source incident database documenting anti-Coptic discrimination and violence in Egypt. Attendees will receive a live demonstration of the platform, learn about the methodology behind incident documentation, and explore how reliable data can strengthen advocacy, policymaking, and public awareness.
The conference also marked the launch of CoptWatch on Capitol Hill on June 9. Coptic Solidarity’s new public incident database documenting anti-Coptic discrimination and violence, followed by advocacy meetings on Capitol Hill to engage policymakers on issues affecting Copts and other vulnerable communities in the Middle East.
We look forward to sharing more detailed updates from the conference in the coming days, including photographs, video recordings, articles, and key highlights from the discussions and advocacy activities.
