Egypt's Cabinet approves draft presidential decree for prisoner pardons ahead of Eid Al-Adha

Egypt's Cabinet approves draft family law for Christian citizens after extensive consultations

Egypt's Cabinet has approved a draft law addressing personal status matters for Christian families, following directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to expedite family law bills for both Christians and Muslims. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated that three draft laws, including a family support fund bill, will be sent to parliament weekly. The Minister of Justice, Mahmoud El-Sherif, confirmed the law applies to Christian Egyptians from various denominations, including Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Evangelical, and Catholic communities, incorporating specific provisions for each. The bill covers engagement, marriage, divorce, annulment, child custody, guardianship, lineage, missing persons, and inheritance. El-Sherif highlighted that the draft reflects full consensus among Christian denominations, resulting from 35 meetings of a legal committee and broad societal dialogue. The draft was also reviewed by the Supreme Judicial Council, the National Council for Human Rights, the National Council for Women, and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. The law consolidates fragmented regulations into a single framework and aligns with constitutional principles of equality, ensuring uniform provisions for non-doctrinal matters such as marital housing, custody, and visitation, mirroring provisions in the draft personal status law for Muslims.