Tourists face death penalty in Malaysia for murder

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.

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.

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

The trial resumes on September 24.

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