Kazakhstan leader: Constitutional order restored amid unrest

By DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president says he authorized law enforcement to open fire on “terrorists” and shoot to kill, a move that comes after days of extremely violent protests in the former Soviet nation. In a televised address to the nation Friday, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev blamed the unrest on “terrorists” and “militants” and said that he had authorized the use of lethal force against them. “Those who don’t surrender will be eliminated,” Tokayev said. He earlier declared that constitutional order is “mainly restored” after the country was engulfed in unprecedented unrest in recent days. Dozens of protesters and law enforcement officers were killed and thousands of people detained.