"As the president and the chairman of the Security Council from today, I will be as strict as possible against those who break the laws," Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his address to the nation, Report says.
"This is a matter of security of our state. I am sure that the people will support me. It is my constitutional duty to be with the people. Together we will cross this black line in the history of Kazakhstan. Let's come out strong on this issue," he said.
The president said that there were casualties among law-enforcement officers.
"In the near future, I will present a package of proposals on the political transformation of Kazakhstan," he added.