Defendants in the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova told a jury trial on Monday they were not guilty.
Human rights lawyer Markelov and Novaya Gazeta journalist Baburova were shot dead on January 19, 2009, in central Moscow.
In November 2009, two members of a radical neo-Nazi nationalist group, Nikolai Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis, were charged with the murders.
Tikhonov on Monday denied most of the charges against him, only admitting to the use of forged documents.
Khasis denied all charges against her, adding that Tikhonov had been framed to cover the name of the real killer.
Addressing the jury, presiding Judge Alexander Zamashnyuk stressed that it was up to the prosecution to prove the defendants' guilt.
"The defense is not supposed to prove [their] innocence," he said.
MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti)