The trial of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez continues in the Venezuelan capital, despite the fact that the presiding judge has thrown out most of Lopez's defense evidence.

During a hearing on Wednesday, the presiding judge, Susana Barreiros, rejected Lopez's defense evidence again, according to BBC Mundo. Lopez has been charged with instigation of violence, conspiracy and property and fire damage.

"The judge's decision was expected on all of the defense's motions: freedoms, modification of crime, admission of evidence," Lopez's legal team said. "They were rejected by Susana Barreiros, maintaining the state's procedural imbalance and helplessness that have been reported throughout this process."

Lopez went on trial at the end of July after being imprisoned in a military penitentiary for months since his February arrest. In February, protests erupted across Venezuela demanding reforms. Lopez was arrested after the government accused him of instigating violence.

Despite a previous hearing being postponed, the parties reconvened on Wednesday at the July 28 Tribunal in Caracas, according to the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal. One of Lopez's lawyers, Roberto Marrero, said that the trial could not be considered a formal one because the defense was denied the right to present its case, in effect. He added that this shows Venezuela is not "a normal democracy."

The judge handed down her ruling within 10 minutes using complicated judicial terminology that confused everyone in the courtroom present, including the accused, reports the newspaper El Nacional.

Soon after Judge Barreiros gave her ruling, Lopez turned to his lawyers and asked what happened. On learning that his evidence had been rejected again, the accused opposition leader expressed his anger at the court.

"This is not a trial but a firing squad. What is the point of oral and public debate if the prosecution's evidence is allowed only to incriminate me but the ones put forward by us, aimed at proving that calling for democracy is not a crime, were rejected? It is absurd. Again the political nature of this process has been proven, and the whole world should know," the leader of the Popular Will Party said.

El Nacional adds that the next hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 28; however, Lopez faces 142 individual pieces of evidence against him and has only one to use for his defense.

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