Kazakhstan’s President Says Security Forces Can ‘Fire Without Warning’ to Quell Unrest
The New York Times
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that “bandits” were responsible for the unrest and must be “destroyed.” He thanked Russia for sending troops to help establish order.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — The authoritarian leader of Kazakhstan said Friday that he had authorized the nation’s security forces to “fire without warning” as the government moved to bring an end to two days of chaos and violence after peaceful protests descended into scenes of anarchy.
“We hear calls from abroad for the parties to negotiate to find a peaceful solution to the problems,” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an address to the nation. “This is just nonsense.”
“What negotiations can there be with criminals and murderers,” he said. “They need to be destroyed and this will be done.”