Israeli citizen is free after 11 years in prison in Iraq's Kurdish region after being accused of murder

Ben Hassin, an Canadian Jew of kurdish descent holding Israeli citizenship, has been freed after 11 years in a prison in Iraq's Kurdish region and is expected to arrive in Israel by Yom Kippur. Hassin had been imprisoned in Iraq on a murder conviction over the killing of a taxi driver who overheard him speaking Hebrew, which was described as accidental.

A death sentence over the killing was reportedly lifted after he received a pardon last year. In the video published on social media Hassin can be seen crying in the back seat of a car, saying, “I can’t believe it; I’ve longed for this day. These are tears of joy.”

According to earlier reports, Hassin was about 20 years old when he traveled to Iraq to visit family members he had in the country. During his stay, he joined a local militia fighting the Islamic State group.

On one of his rides back from the frontlines, Hassin got into an argument with the taxi driver and shot him.

According to the family's account at the time, the driver had presumed Hassin was Jewish and Israeli and threatened to hand him over to ISIS, and Hassin said he fired in self-defense and was arrested and charged with murder shortly after.

Hassin's release was made possible following a reconciliation agreement reached with the family of the deceased.

Israeli law bars citizens from entering countries considered enemy states, and Israeli citizens who have broken that law have previously faced charges upon returning to Israel.