Benjamin Hassin released from Iraqi prison after 11 years — Jerusalem Post

Canadian-Israeli citizen Benjamin Hassin was released from a prison in Iraq on September 16, 2026, after more than 11 years of imprisonment. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, he arrived in Israel, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Detention and sentence

Hassin was detained in Iraq on June 5, 2015, after an incident in a taxi. According to him, the driver heard him speaking Hebrew, learned that the passenger held Israeli citizenship, and threatened to hand him over to militants from the Islamic State group. Hassin says he shot the driver in self-defense; the man died from his injuries several days later. Hassin was charged with murder.

In October 2020, a court sentenced him to death. As Hassin said, in November 2025 the death sentence was annulled after a "sulha" agreement was reached with the family of the deceased, and the punishment was changed to 15 years in prison. According to the publication, $200,000 was raised for the agreement at the request of the Iraqi authorities.

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Hassin also said that after his detention, he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse in a detention facility and was held in overcrowded cells. According to him, two lawyers withdrew from the case after receiving threats.

Return to Israel

After the death sentence was overturned, Hassin had nearly served the time required to apply for parole. His first request, he said, was rejected, but later a lawyer informed him of his release. After leaving prison, he traveled through Dubai to Israel.

Hassin is now studying at the Aish HaTorah yeshiva in Jerusalem. He thanked the people who supported him during his imprisonment, including more than 6,000 donors who, according to The Jerusalem Post, raised over $300,000 in 48 hours for the agreement and legal expenses.