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 is understood to have flown 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.
The matter of Hassin's imprisonment was not publicly disclosed until more than a year later, when then-Deputy Minister for Regional Cooperation Ayoub Kara posted a video on social media saying he was working closely with Hassin’s father, Ilan Hassin, to secure his son's release.
After that, 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.
However, he remained in prison until today.
International efforts secure Hassin's release
The success is being attributed to former Israeli foreign ministry official Eyal Sisso and lawyer Alan Lowy, the latter who is reported to have flown regularly to Sulaymaniyah, near the Iranian border, to negotiate the release.
In the car following his release, Hassin could be seen saying the Jewish "Shehecheyanu" prayer.
Lowy and Hassin are currently on their way to Israel and are expected to be in Jerusalem before Shabbat.
Nevertheless, after 11 years in jail and having reportedly experienced torture, physical abuse, and severe mistreatment, Hassin will have to restart his life.
Hassin to join Aish yeshiva after return to Israel
Aish is stepping up to help him with this, confirming to The Jerusalem Post that Hassin will be joining the Aish yeshiva in Jerusalem on his arrival.
CEO of Aish Rabbi Steven Burg told the Post: "We're very excited."
"Aish was built as a place for every single Jew in the world to connect with their Judaism. Here's a Jew whose strongest desire after being imprisoned for over a decade is to study Torah."
"The Talmud talks extensively about the importance of the commandment of Pidyon Shvu'im, redeeming people who have been held captive, especially someone persecuted for his religion, and for being close to Israel."
"Aish will be throwing our doors wide open for Binyamin, and we intend to give him a chance to really grow in his Judaism."
Dean of Aish Educational Institute Rabbi Dovid Rosman added that Aish's expert staff will be taking "very special care" of him.
"After everything that he has gone through, Aish is a logical choice for Binyamin to come and study. He is inspired to study, to learn Torah, and we will be welcoming him with open arms."