London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

US Calls For End To Kazakhstan Shoot-To-Kill Order After Over 160 Died

US Calls For End To Kazakhstan Shoot-To-Kill Order After Over 160 Died

"That is something that I absolutely reject. The shoot-to-kill order, to the extent it exists, is wrong and should be rescinded," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday criticized Kazakhstan's shoot-to-kill order against protesters accused of fomenting unrest, calling for the policy in the central Asian nation to be scrapped.

"That is something that I absolutely reject. The shoot-to-kill order, to the extent it exists, is wrong and should be rescinded," President Joe Biden's top diplomat told ABC Sunday talk show "This Week."

"We have real concerns about the state of emergency that was declared in Kazakhstan," he said, adding that he spoke with Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi on Thursday.

"We've been clear that we expect the Kazakh government to deal with protesters in ways that respects their rights, that pulls back from violence at the same time."

More than 160 people have died and 5,800 have been arrested in Kazakhstan following violent riots this week in the energy-rich nation of 19 million people, media reported Sunday citing the health ministry.

The figures, while not independently verified, mark a significant increase from a previous toll by officials who said 26 "armed criminals" had been killed and 16 security officers had died.

In a hardline televised address Friday, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said local and foreign "terrorists" were wreaking havoc in the country, and that "I have given the order to law enforcement to shoot to kill without warning."

He also offered thanks to Russian President Vladimir Putin after a Moscow-led military alliance sent troops to Kazakhstan to help quell the violence.

Blinken said Washington had "real concerns" about why Tokayev felt compelled to call on the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which neighbor Russia dominates.

"We're asking for clarification on that," Blinken told CNN. "But what's imperative now is that all of this be dealt with in a peaceful manner that respects the rights of those who are trying to make their voices heard."

Long seen as one the most stable of the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is facing its biggest crisis in decades after days of protests over rising fuel prices escalated into widespread unrest.

Protesters stormed government buildings and fought running battles with police and the military, particularly in Almaty, the country's largest city and economic hub.

The unrest raised fears of a destabilisation of Kazakhstan, a major energy exporter and producer of uranium.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×