OREANDA-NEWS. A Saudi court sentenced five defendants in the murder of journalist Jamal Hashkaji to death on Monday. This was reported at a press conference in Riyadh by representatives of the prosecutor general’s office, Sky News Arabia broadcasts live. Three more received 24 years in prison. In total, 11 people were involved in the case.

"The investigation revealed that the killing was unintentional", said representatives of the kingdom’s prosecutor general’s office. According to them, "everyone who was found guilty appeared in court". Among the suspects was also a former adviser to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Saud al-Kahtani, who was allegedly on the Internet to monitor human rights activists and journalists critical of Saudi Arabia. However, as noted at a press conference, no charges were brought against him.

Jamal Hashkaji was one of the most well-known columnist journalists in the Middle East. He also acted as a blogger and expert, often participated in various television shows and talk shows, where he commented on Middle Eastern policy issues.