I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5974 
To require the Secretary of State to submit an annual report to Congress 
regarding efforts to restore or repair Christian property in the Arab 
Republic of Egypt that was burned, damaged, or otherwise destroyed 
during the sectarian violence in August 2013, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 
Mr. TROTT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of State to submit an annual report 
to Congress regarding efforts to restore or repair Chris-
tian property in the Arab Republic of Egypt that was 
burned, damaged, or otherwise destroyed during the sec-
tarian violence in August 2013, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Coptic Churches Ac-
countability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) In August 2013, Islamist-led mobs, burned 
and destroyed various Christian religious properties 
and properties owned by Christians in the Arab Re-
public of Egypt, following the removal of the govern-
ment led by the Muslim Brotherhood. 
(2) The succeeding government announced that 
the army would rebuild the churches damaged dur-
ing that sectarian violence at government expense. 
President Sisi, then the Minister of Defense of 
Egypt, ordered the engineering department of the 
Egyptian armed forces ‘‘to swiftly repair all the af-
fected churches, in recognition of the historical and 
national role played by our Coptic brothers’’ during 
that period of sectarian violence. 
(3) In January 2015, President Sisi was the 
first Egyptian President to make an appearance at 
a Coptic Christian Christmas liturgy. 
(4) On January 6, 2016, President Sisi, speak-
ing at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, while 
attending the Christmas liturgy, said, referring to 
the August 2013 sectarian violence, ‘‘We have taken 
too long to fix and renovate the churches that were 
burned . . . this year everything will be fixed. Please 
accept our apologies for what happened . . . God 
willing . . . by next year there won’t be a single 
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house or church that is not restored. We will never 
forget the honorable, respectful, and great stance 
you and the Pope took during this period.’’. 
(5) The Egyptian military has restored 26 of 
the 78 churches and other Christian buildings dam-
aged during the August 2013 sectarian violence. Pri-
vate citizens have restored an additional 23 damaged 
buildings. A total of 29 buildings in 24 locations 
have yet to be restored as of September 6, 2016. 
(6) In August 2016, Egypt passed a new law 
with respect to church construction that imposes sig-
nificant burdens on the ability to build a church. 
(7) In general, government approval for build-
ing or repairing churches has served as a justifica-
tion for sectarian violence targeting Christians in 
Egypt. 
(8) In El-‘Our, Minya, on March 27, 2015, doz-
ens of villagers protested the building of the new 
church in honor of the Egyptian Christians be-
headed by Da’esh militants in Libya in February 
2015. President Sisi had approved the construction 
of that church in response to calls by Coptic Ortho-
dox Church leaders. A Coptic Orthodox clergyman 
from the region stated that protestors besieged the 
existing village church with the pastor and some of 
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his family inside. According to a prominent human 
rights group, the protestors were armed, threw 
Molotov cocktails at the church, and set fire to a 
Christian-owned vehicle. Protestors also threw bricks 
at the house of another Christian victim. 
(9) Egyptian government officials frequently 
participate in informal reconciliation sessions to ad-
dress such incidents of sectarian violence or tension, 
saying that such sessions prevented further violence. 
According to human rights groups, however, the ses-
sions have regularly led to outcomes unfavorable to 
religious minorities and precluded recourse to the ju-
dicial system by such minorities. 
(10) St. Mark brought Christianity to Egypt, 
where the Coptic Christians have been the indige-
nous people of Egypt for over 2,000 years. 
(11) The Coptic Church represents the largest 
Christian community in the Middle East. 
(12) United States diplomatic leadership con-
tributes meaningfully and materially to the inter-
national protection of religious minorities and their 
faith-based practices and places of worship. 
(13) The International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) states that ‘‘it 
shall be the policy of the United States to condemn 
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violations of religious freedom, and to promote, and 
to assist other governments in the promotion of, the 
fundamental right to freedom of religion.’’. 
(14) Religious freedom is an essential corner-
stone of democracy that promotes respect for indi-
vidual liberty and contributes to greater stability, 
and is a priority value for the United States to pro-
mote in its engagement with other countries. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
(a) REPORT ON PROGRESS OF RESTORATION.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and annually thereafter until 2021, the Secretary 
of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate a report describing— 
(1) the progress made in restoring or repairing 
burned, damaged, or otherwise destroyed Christian 
religious property and properties owned by Chris-
tians in the Arab Republic of Egypt during the sec-
tarian violence in August 2013, including a descrip-
tion of any discussion between officials of the De-
partment of State and representatives of Egypt, oc-
curring on or after the date of the submission of the 
most recent report, regarding the restoration or re-
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pair of such Christian religious property or property 
owned by Christians; 
(2) the implementation of the law described in 
section 2(6), including the number of permits issued 
for the construction of Christian churches pursuant 
to such law; and 
(3) the nature and extent of Egyptian laws and 
policies regarding the construction of Christian 
churches or places of worship. 
(b) INCLUSION OF INFORMATION IN ANNUAL COUN-
TRY REPORTS
ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES
AND 
INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORTS.—The 
Secretary of State shall ensure that each Country Report 
on Human Rights Practices for Egypt required under sec-
tions 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d) and 2304(b)) and each Re-
port on International Religious Freedom required under 
section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)) submitted after the date of 
the enactment of this Act contains— 
(1) a summary of the information described in 
subsection (a)(1); and 
(2) a list of each Christian church, place of 
worship, or other Christian religious property (such 
as a monastery, Christian school or hospital, monu-
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ment, relic, or holy site) and each item of property 
(such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, or 
other artifacts) belonging to a Christian church that 
was burned, damaged, or otherwise destroyed during 
the sectarian violence in August 2013. 
Æ 
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