Two Chilean tourists facing the death penalty in Malaysia for allegedly murdering a man in a hotel are innocent and acted in self-defence, their lawyer said Monday.

Felipe Osiadacz and Fernando Candia are on trial over the killing of a Malaysian in the lobby of the Kuala Lumpur hotel in August last year, less than 24 hours after they arrived in the country on holiday.

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The young men have pleaded not guilty. Malaysia has a mandatory death penalty for murder, and if convicted the pair will be hanged.

“It was all an accident. A person went into the hotel and demanded money from them,” their lawyer Venkateswari Alagendra told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur High Court after a hearing.

The Malaysian man then attacked the Chileans and they fought back in self-defence, before calling the police, she said.

She said she was confident that the pair, who went on trial earlier this year, would be acquitted.

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Two women were seen hugging the men after Monday’s court hearing, but declined to speak to reporters.

The trial resumes on September 24.

(AFP)