According to a Radio Free Asia report of May 9, 2017,  Uyghur students enrolled in schools outside China have been ordered by the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region Government to return to their home towns by May 20. In some cases family members are being held hostage to ensure compliance. An Uyghur studying at Egypt’s Al-Azhar University told RFA’s Uyghur Service that the campaign, launched at the end of January by authorities across the Xinjiang region, has frightened targeted students, some of whom have disappeared or been jailed after coming back.