For Immediate Release
(Washington, DC) June 4, 2026- Standard Newswire
Coptic Solidarity is pleased to announce its 2026 Annual Conference, “Egypt’s Theocratic Governance Backsliding: More Risks for Citizenship Rights,” taking place June 8–9, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The conference will bring together members of Congress, policymakers, religious freedom advocates, scholars, abd human rights experts, to examine the growing challenges facing equal citizenship, religious freedom, and democratic governance in Egypt.
The conference comes at a critical moment following the release of Coptic Solidarity’s latest report, Erosion of Citizenship in Egypt: State-Managed Religious Governance and Institutional Islamization under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. The report documents how religious institutions and religious norms have become increasingly embedded within the structures of governance, education, law, and public administration, raising serious concerns about the future of equal citizenship and freedom of conscience in Egypt.
The centerpiece of the conference will be the Policy Day program on Monday, June 8, held at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room 201.
Confirmed participants include Members of Congress, representatives of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), as well as leading scholars, advocates, and policy experts.
Among the issues to be examined are the expansion of state-managed religious governance in Egypt, restrictions on religious conversion and freedom of belief, the protection of endangered religious heritage sites, blasphemy and apostasy laws, and the broader implications of religiously based governance for stability and human rights.
On Tuesday, June 9, Coptic Solidarity will host a special Capitol Hill briefing to launch CoptWatch, which provides an unprecedented evidence-based tool for documenting patterns of discrimination and persecution. The platform combines incident-level reporting, geographic mapping, and data analysis to provide policymakers, researchers, journalists, and advocates with a comprehensive picture of conditions facing Egypt’s largest religious minority.
The launch briefing will introduce the methodology behind the platform, present key findings from the initial dataset, and demonstrate how CoptWatch can serve as a resource for governments, international organizations, human rights institutions, and civil society organizations working to promote accountability and equal citizenship.
“As concerns about religious freedom and equal citizenship continue to grow, objective documentation and reliable data become increasingly important,” said Caroline Doss, President of Coptic Solidarity. “The launch of CoptWatch will provide a new level of transparency and accountability while helping policymakers better understand the realities facing vulnerable communities in Egypt.”
Members of the media, Congressional staff, policymakers, researchers, advocates, and interested members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Conference Schedule:
• June 8, 2026 – Policy Day
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-201
9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• June 9, 2026 – CoptWatch Launch Briefing Capitol Hill Advocacy Meetings
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
CoptWatch Briefing: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM in Cannon House Office Building, Room 440
Additional information, speaker updates, and registration details are available on Coptic Solidarity’s website.
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Coptic Solidarity is an organization seeking to help minorities, particularly the Copts, of Egypt. We support those in Egypt working for democracy, freedom, and the protection of the fundamental rights of all Egyptian citizens, and advocate in cooperation with the affiliated organizations in Canada and in Europe (Solidarité Copte). For more information, coptadvocacy@copticsolidarity.org
