Israeli-Kurdish Jew Freed After 11 Years in Iraqi Prison

Israeli-Canadian citizen Ben Hassin walked free from prison in Iraqi Kurdistan on Wednesday after more than a decade behind bars.

Hassin, 31, traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2015 to visit relatives and reportedly remained in the region to join Kurdish forces fighting ISIS.

He was later arrested over the death of a taxi driver in the city of Sulaymaniyah. Hassin said the driver heard him speaking Hebrew, realized he was Israeli and threatened to hand him over to ISIS. Hassin maintained that he shot the driver in self-defense.

A court sentenced Hassin to death in 2020. The sentence was later reduced to 15 years in prison before eventually being overturned following negotiations and a financial settlement with the driver's family.

Jewish activists in the United States and Europe worked for years to secure his release. Former Israeli Foreign Ministry official Eyal Siso and American attorney Allen Lowy were also involved in the efforts.

The case remained largely secret in Israel during its early years. In 2016, then-Likud minister Ayoob Kara publicly revealed that he had been in contact with Hassin's father and was working to secure his release. Israel's military censor later allowed some details of the case to be published as supporters sought funds for an agreement with the driver's family.

Following his release, Hassin appeared visibly emotional in a video and said he had waited a long time for his freedom.

Siso described the release as the conclusion of an 11-year effort, saying he and Lowy had promised Hassin's late mother that they would continue working to bring her son home.

Hassin is expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days.