The master's thesis deals with the issue of China's international responsibility for the treatment of the Uighur ethnic minority. International responsibility of states is anold legal institute today defined by the Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts. They stipulate that the State is responsible for any act attributable to the State which constitutes a breach of that State's international obligation. Special provisions are set for serious violations of ius cogens norms of international law, which in addition also have an erga omnes effect. Violations of such norms affect the international community as a whole, therefore any State may request the establishment of liability of the offending State. Ius cogens norms include the basic rules and prohibitions of international law, from which no derogation is permitted, including the prohibition of genocide. The crime of genocide, as well as other serious and systematic violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, which are classified as ius cogens norms, allegedly took place in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, inhabited by the Uighur ethnic minority, which differs from the majority of the People's Republic of China by language, religion and culture. The master's thesis addresses alleged violations of Uighur human rights and subsumes them under current international law, and on the basis of this synthesis discusses possible ways of establishing international responsibility of the People's Republic of China.
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