Editor-in-Chief Marina Zolatava and Director-General Ludmila Chekina have been in custody since May 2021.
The other three defendants left Belarus before the trial began.
“Tut.by” reflected the widespread protests that arose after the spoofed 2020 presidential election.
“We must support all journalists who fight for the truth,” opposition leader Sviatlana Cikhanovska urged on Twitter at the start of the trial on Monday.
The publication was recognized as “extremist” in 2021. Several former employees now work abroad in “Zerkalo”, the successor of “Tut.by”.
As “Zerkalo” said in the statement, the case against the former colleagues was “fabricated from start to finish and arose only because the regime is afraid of journalists”.
After widespread protests in 2020, the regime tried to repress any manifestation of discontent, many journalists and activists were arrested, others were forced to flee abroad.
According to “Viasna” estimates, there are more than 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus.
