‘Another chance at life’: Israeli freed from Iraqi Kurdish prison returns home
Ben Hassin, a Kurdish Jew who also holds Canadian citizenship, recalls struggling to maintain hope after initial death sentence for killing cab driver, says he was held in a jail where ‘they can seriously hurt you for being Israeli and Jewish’
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A Kurdish Jew with Canadian and Israeli citizenship landed in Israel on Friday, days after he was released from prison in Iraq, where he was sentenced to death for killing his cab driver over a decade ago.
“It feels like I’ve been given another chance at life, and it is one of the most beautiful opportunities anyone can receive,” Ben Hassin told Channel 12, in his first Hebrew media interview since his release on Wednesday.
Hassin traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2015 to visit family, and stayed to join Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State, according to media reports.
A cab driver in the city of Sulaymaniyah reportedly overheard him speaking in Hebrew and threatened to hand him over to ISIS. Hassin declined to speak about the 2015 incident during the Channel 12 interview, beyond reiterating that he acted in self-defense.
לאחר 11 שנים בכלא בחבל הכורדי בעיראק, ישראלי ניצל מהוצאה להורג וצפוי להגיע לישראל. עונש המוות שהיה תלוי נגד בן חסין, בשל חלקו בהרג אדם בשוגג בחבל הכורדי, הוסר אחרי סולחה שהושגה בשנה שעברה. המאמצים הבינ"ל לשחרורו הובלו על ידי עורך הדין אלן לאווי וצוות עסקנים מהקהילה החרדית בארה"ב pic.twitter.com/bw2eARlH1i
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) September 16, 2026
Now 31, Hassin was sentenced to death in 2020, but a crowdfunding campaign led by ultra-Orthodox groups in the US and Europe ultimately led to his sentence being overturned last year, when a financial settlement was reached with the taxi driver’s family.
Earlier this week, Kurdish authorities agreed to further shorten Hassin’s sentence due to good behavior, allowing for his release from prison.
Reflecting on his initial death sentence, Hassin said, “You try to find a reason to keep going, but you start to lose hope, knowing that you have to hold on to something that may not be there.”
“They can seriously hurt you for being Israeli and being Jewish, specifically in that place I was in,” he added.
Hassin said the “Shehechiyanu” blessing, thanking God for enabling him to reach this moment, soon after arriving in Israel.
Hassin’s father Ilan also spoke with the Kan public broadcaster while shopping for a cellphone for his recently returned son.
“I can’t describe the excitement in words. He’s still in a sort of shock and hasn’t recovered yet. This is the best gift I’ve ever received for Rosh Hashanah,” Ilan said.
While he conducted most of the interview in English, he switched to Hebrew in order to thank those involved in securing his release.
The Times of Israel Community.