Former Peru president ordered to remain in custody for 18 months as protest death toll rises to 12

Country's human rights office calls for armed forces to cease the use of firearms and teargas

A judge in Peru has ruled that former president Pedro Castillo be held in preventive detention for 18 months pending trial on charges of rebellion for his attempt to shutter congress and rule by decree, as the death toll from a week of violent protests sparked by his ousting rose to 12.

Four people were killed and 39 injured on Thursday in Ayacucho, in Peru's southern Andes, as protesters clashed with soldiers and police, the local health authority confirmed.