Jewish man freed from Iraqi death row after global campaign, heads to Israel
A Jewish man who has been imprisoned in Iraq for 11 years was released today following a coordinated international effort.
Israeli-Canadian Benjamin Hassin, now in his early 30s, was released from prison in Sulaymaniyah on Wednesday.
Hassin was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and immigrated as a child first to Israel and then to Canada, before again returning to Israel as a teenager.
In 2014, he reportedly flew to Kurdistan to visit his grandparents. There, according to Yeshiva World News, he joined local Kurdish Peshmerga militia who were defending their towns from ISIS.
In 2015, on leaving for Israel, Hassin was allegedly accosted by a taxi driver who heard him speaking Hebrew, realized Hassin was Israeli, and threatened to kill him. Hassin, who was armed, claimed he shot the driver in self-defense. The driver died a few days later from the injuries, and Hassin was arrested and charged with murder. He was also sentenced to death.
Sentenced to death, the matter of his imprisonment not public for over a year
The matter of Hassin’s imprisonment was not publicly disclosed until over a year later, when then-Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara posted a video on social media saying he was in close collaboration with Hassin’s father, Ilan Hassin, to secure his son’s release.
Following that point, international Jewish groups joined in to secure his release.
In November 2025, Hassin’s death sentence was annulled after a sulha agreement, and $250,000 in funds were raised at the request of the Iraqi authorities. Renowned lawyer Alan Dershowitz said the money was used to persuade the family of the alleged victim to accept the sulha.
He, however, remained in prison until today.
The success is being attributed to former Israeli foreign ministry official Eyal Sisso and lawyer Alan Lowy, the latter of whom is reported to have flown regularly to Sulaymaniyah, near the Iranian border, to negotiate the release.
Lowy and Hassin are currently on the way to Israel.
Nevertheless, after 11 years in jail, and having reportedly experienced torture, physical abuse and severe mistreatment, Hassin will have to restart his life.
The Jerusalem Post confirmed that Hassin has been accepted into the Aish HaTorah Foundation Program in Jerusalem on his arrival.
In a letter to Hassin, Aish Yeshiva director Rabbi Dovid Rosman said he was pleased to inform the former of his acceptance.
In the car following his release, Hassin could be seen saying the Jewish “Sheheyanu” prayer.