The long way home: Free after decade in Iraqi prison, Benjamin Hassin begins new life in Jerusalem
DIASPORA AFFAIRS: Just over a month ago, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Benjamin Hassin landed on Israeli soil for the first time in 12 years.
Benjamin Hassin, a Canadian-Israeli, was arrested in Iraq in 2015 and sentenced to death. He spent more than a decade in an Iraqi prison before being released just a month ago on Rosh Hashanah. When he arrived in Israel, he was greeted warmly by security officers but went unnoticed by many average passengers at the airport. Hassin was born in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1994, and after his family immigrated to Canada, he returned to Iraq in 2015 to visit his paternal grandparents.
While there, he volunteered in a Kurdish force and was involved in a few battles against ISIS. On June 5, 2015, he was shot and killed a driver in self-defense, leading to his arrest. He spent two months in pretrial detention before being moved to a general population prison in Sulaymaniyah, where he remained for five years and two months.
During this time, he faced severe physical and emotional abuse, including beatings, sleep deprivation, and being forced to wear a blindfold when leaving his room. Despite being sentenced to death, Hassin's sentence was annulled in November 2025 due to a sulha agreement. He is now studying at Aish Hatorah Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
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