Jewish Man Freed From Iraqi Death Row After Global Campaign

After years of worldwide efforts and an unrelenting pidyon shvuyim campaign, Binyamin ben Limor has been released from prison in Iraq and is expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days. The development caps a complex behind-the-scenes operation that mobilized resources, diplomatic contacts, and prayers across the Jewish world, according to YWN.

The case reached a major turning point in late 2025 when Binyamin's death sentence was overturned following a complex sulha agreement signed in Iraq. The cancellation of the death penalty was made possible in part by an international pidyon shvuyim campaign that rallied the public to help fund the substantial costs required to secure the arrangement.

Now, with his full release from prison secured, he is preparing for his formal departure to Israel. According to the YWN report, askanim and pidyon shvuyim activists express cautious hope that he will be able to leave as a free man and return to his people within days or weeks.

The ongoing drama surrounding Binyamin's detention began in 2014, when he traveled to visit his elderly grandparents in Iraqi Kurdistan as ISIS was spreading through the region. Binyamin joined local residents' defense efforts against the terrorists, but in 2015 he was caught in an ambush by a taxi driver who identified him as a Hebrew speaker and threatened to turn him over to ISIS operatives.

During the struggle that ensued, the driver was wounded and later died from his injuries, an incident that led to Binyamin's immediate arrest, severe torture during interrogations, and eventual conviction. In 2020, a Kurdish court sentenced him to death by hanging, and since then his life has been in real and daily danger.

Accepted to Jerusalem Yeshiva

Upon his expected arrival in Israel, Binyamin will open a new chapter in his life. Through the initiative of askanim and figures who accompanied the case, his acceptance has been arranged at Yeshivat Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem. The yeshiva has already sent him an official letter of acceptance to its foundations program, expressing its anticipation of welcoming him among the benches of the beit midrash in the Old City.

Alongside preparations for his spiritual and social absorption, Binyamin is expected to undergo an extensive rehabilitation process, including initial organization, acquisition of religious articles and clothing, andhelping him with basic needs after his prolonged years of imprisonment.