HR 11

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 05/11/2026 12:23 p.m.

A House resolution
expressing the sense of the House condemning the practice of extrajudicial, summary,
or arbitrary killings and upholding the principles contained within the Minnesota
Protocol.

WHEREAS, the United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention of Extra-legal, Arbitrary
and Summary Executions of 1991 became known widely as the Minnesota Protocol due to the
Minnesota Lawyers International Human Rights Committee, now called the Advocates for Human
Rights, being largely responsible for its drafting; and

WHEREAS, for decades, national, regional, and international courts have relied on the
Minnesota Protocol as a legal standard and for guidance on investigations of suspicious and unlawful
killings to hold governments accountable for extrajudicial killings. The Minnesota Protocol has
been updated since its creation to reflect current best practices; and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota Protocol is a tool for all those involved in investigations of
suspicious and unlawful killings, including law enforcement, medical practitioners, attorneys,
judicial officers, and other organizations, holding each to a higher standard of professional conduct;
and

WHEREAS, the Minnesota Protocol creates a duty to pursue justice for victims of suspicious
or unlawful killings and their families through full and fair investigations, initiated by reasonable
allegations of unlawful death or when a state knows or should have known that a potentially unlawful
death occurred; and

WHEREAS, elected representatives of the state have a responsibility to commit to policies
that reflect the Minnesota Protocol and that support a thorough, prompt, independent, and transparent
investigation in any instance of a suspicious and unlawful killing. Leaders must commit to policies
that address obstacles to reliable investigations and prevention of extrajudicial killings; NOW,
THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota that it hereby
condemns the practice of extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary killings.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota
recognizes the need for promptness, witness and victim protection, independence, and transparency
in investigations of suspicious and unlawful killings.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the State of Minnesota
acknowledges the origination of the Minnesota Protocol in the State of Minnesota and the need to
uphold its principles.