Israeli Imprisoned in Iraqi Kurdistan Released After 11 Years
Israeli citizen Ben Hasin was released from prison in Iraqi Kurdistan after 11 years. Initially sentenced to death for murder, his sentence was commuted following legal and diplomatic efforts.
Ben Hasin, an Israeli citizen imprisoned in Iraqi Kurdistan, was released today (Wednesday) after about 11 years in prison and is expected to return to Israel on the eve of Yom Kippur.
Hasin was convicted of murdering a local taxi driver and was initially sentenced to death, but consistently claimed he acted in self-defense during the incident while visiting his grandmother.
Over the years, extensive diplomatic and legal efforts—led by American attorney Alan Loewy and Eyal Siso—resulted in the commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment, and subsequently to a 15-year term following a reconciliation process with the victim's family. A final legal procedure completed this week secured his release after 11 years behind bars.
