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Israeli-Russian doctoral researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov survived 2.5 years of brutal captivity and torture by an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia before her September release.

The Princeton student was kidnapped in March 2023 after her Israeli identity was discovered; her captors initially sought $600 million ransom.

Her release followed intense Trump administration pressure and Israeli military operations against Iran’s proxies; she now plans to return to her doctorate research.

TEL AVIV, Israel — Ta’aliq — “to hang” in Arabic — is Iraqi slang for a torture technique that hoists victims into the air, their hands handcuffed above their heads. Akrab, or “scorpion,” is the more painful

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