Ben Hassin, an Israeli-Canadian citizen, has walked free from a prison in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, after more than 11 years behind bars. Hassin had been convicted of killing a local taxi driver following an incident that occurred while he was in the region during the war against the ISIS terror organization.
“This is one of the most incredible feelings,” Hassin told Channel 12 News in his first interview after his release. “It’s like I got another chance at life.”
Hassin, a Kurdish Jew, traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2015 to visit relatives, at the height of the war against ISIS. According to him, he sought to join the forces fighting the terror group. “At that time the war against ISIS was going on, and I decided to come and see if I could join the fight,” he recounted. “I didn’t enlist officially, it was just like... just as a volunteer, to help the fighters.” Other reports have said he fought alongside Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
During his stay, Hassin got into a taxi driven by a local resident. According to accounts given by Hassin and his family, the driver heard him speaking Hebrew, realized he was Israeli, and threatened to hand him over to ISIS. Hassin, who was armed, shot the driver, who later died of his wounds. Hassin was arrested in June 2015 and charged with murder. “It was a kind of self-defense,” Hassin told Channel 12, declining to elaborate on the moment that led to his imprisonment.
Hassin was initially sentenced to death. “You try to find reasons to keep going and you start to lose hope when you know you need to hold on to something that might not be there,” he said, describing that period. “They can hurt you for being Israeli and for being Jewish — especially in the prison where I was held.”
Over the years, extensive efforts were made to secure his release. In November 2025, following a “sulha” reconciliation agreement with the driver’s family, the death sentence was lifted and later commuted to 15 years. Funds for the agreement were raised by Jewish activists abroad.
Hassin was accompanied after his release by international attorney Alan Lowy, who led the efforts to free him over the years. According to Channel 12, the two passed by the courthouse where Hassin’s trial had been held on their way to the airport. The release efforts also involved Eyal Sisso, a former senior Foreign Ministry official, and a group of Haredi activists in the United States.
According to Channel 12, the legal process enabling his release was completed after his sentence was reduced by a third for good behavior. Hassin thanked those who worked for his freedom and said he hopes to reach Israel. “I want to say thank you,” he said. “Thank you, and thank G-d, and thank you to all the people who helped me.”
