Jihan Taha was a teacher living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq who was known for her courageous defence of her rights and beliefs. On 26 October 2023, she was killed in a suspicious accident after her car overturned and caught fire in the village of Haftaka in the Barzan sub-district, which is located in the outskirts of Erbil Governorate. This area was far from her place of residence, and informed local sources have claimed that there was no logical reason for her to be present there. The accident happened following her appearance on the “With Renj” television programme on 11 September 2023, in which she strongly criticised the advisor to the Ministry of Education in the Kurdistan Regional Government, Burhan Arkoushi, and the Minister of Education. She fought for the rights of lecturers to be recognised as permanent staff rather than appointed under temporary contracts. She had participated in other human rights work in the past, such as a documentary film about violence against women in 2012, which was produced by the Ministry of Culture in the Kurdistan Region. After her death, several demonstrations were launched in some cities of the Kurdistan region, especially Sulaymaniyah Governorate, expressing appreciation for her courage, grief for her loss, and doubt that the accident was unplanned. Her family has appointed a lawyer to follow up on investigations surrounding her death.