26.08.2026 10:00
In the new expert report prepared regarding the death of former Minister of Transport Arif Ahmet Denizolgun, which was recorded 10 years ago as 'natural death due to cerebral hemorrhage,' a striking possibility has come to the fore. In the death for which a murder investigation has been initiated regarding Alihan Kuriş, the expert noted that Denizolgun may have been deprived of air by pressing a knee on his chest and covering his mouth and nose with a pillow, and that this possibility cannot be scientifically ruled out.
The expert report dated August 25, 2026, which was included in the file in the investigation conducted by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the death of former Minister of Transport Arif Ahmet Denizolgun on September 7, 2016, has brought the "natural death due to cerebral hemorrhage" decision given 10 years ago into question. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Alkan, a faculty member at Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine Department of Forensic Medicine, examined 145 photographs and video footage from the autopsy and determined that there were 4 separate ecchymoses extending from under Denizolgun's right breast to the middle of the chest. The expert stated that these marks occurred before death and, considering their locations, it was possible that he was deprived of air by pressing a knee to the chest and covering the mouth and nose with a pillow. The report also noted that there was not sufficient objective evidence to accept the death as "non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhage."
CRITICAL EXPERT REPORT IN THE DENIZOLGUN FILE AFTER 10 YEARS
A new expert report that could change the balance in the investigation regarding the death of former Minister of Transport Arif Ahmet Denizolgun on September 7, 2016, has been included in the file.
In the report dated August 25, 2026, prepared within the scope of the investigation numbered 2026/8086 by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 145 photographs from the autopsy conducted in 2016, autopsy video footage, forensic medicine reports of the period, criminal investigations, crime scene records, witness statements, and documents related to the exhumation process carried out in 2026 were examined together.
The report prepared by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Alkan, a faculty member at Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine Department of Forensic Medicine, revealed serious forensic medical questions regarding the evaluation of Denizolgun's death as a "natural death."
4 SEPARATE ECCHYMOSES IN THE CHEST AREA ON THE AUTOPSY VIDEO
The expert's most striking finding came from the autopsy photographs and video recordings taken in 2016 but re-examined within the scope of the investigation. According to the report, 4 separate ecchymotic areas were detected on Denizolgun, arranged from the lower part of the right breast toward the middle of the chest.
The expert recorded that these areas were approximately 4x6 centimeters, 3x5 centimeters, 2x4 centimeters, and 1x2 centimeters in size.
The report stated that there was also bleeding in the tissues beneath the ecchymoses, indicating that these lesions occurred before death.
"A KNEE MAY HAVE BEEN PRESSED TO THE CHEST AND THE MOUTH AND NOSE COVERED"
The most striking evaluation in the report was made regarding the mechanism of formation of these ecchymoses. Considering the size and location of the lesions on the chest, the expert evaluated that it was possible for a person to press a knee on Denizolgun's chest while covering his mouth and nose with a pillow, depriving him of air.
However, the report did not state that this was the definitive mechanism of death. The expert emphasized that based on the available images, it could not be scientifically and objectively definitively ruled out that Denizolgun was killed in this manner and pointed to new forensic examinations.
CRITICAL ANNOTATION ADDED TO THE "NATURAL DEATH" REPORT FROM 10 YEARS AGO
Following the autopsy conducted in 2016, a report had been prepared stating that Denizolgun's death was a "natural death due to cerebral hemorrhage." The new expert report, however, questioned the basis of this conclusion.
The expert stated that since Denizolgun had previously served as a member of parliament and minister, and there were claims that he had died under suspicious circumstances, a detailed evaluation of the autopsy should have been expected. The report included the assessment that the existing autopsy result contained a "forensic medical deficiency."
More notably, the expert noted that there was not sufficient objective data to say that the cause of death was due to non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhage developing outside the effects of chemical substances or their effects found in the body.
HEAVY METALS ALSO DETECTED IN THE AUTOPSY
Another critical issue that emerged in the file was the toxicological examination conducted in 2016. According to the expert report, heavy metals such as barium, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel were found both in the tissues and in the putrefaction fluids of the deceased during Denizolgun's autopsy. However, the report noted that the levels of these heavy metals were not specified.
Therefore, the expert stated that it could not be assessed whether the detected amounts were compatible with levels that could be present in the body; consequently, whether Denizolgun's death resulted from these substances or whether these substances were effective in the development of the cerebral hemorrhage could not be objectively determined with the available data.
NEW SAMPLES AFTER EXHUMATION ARE OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE
Denizolgun's grave was opened through an exhumation process on August 19, 2026, following years of ongoing claims regarding his death. The expert drew attention to the necessity of new examinations to reach a definitive assessment.
The report stated that Denizolgun's entire medical history, the autopsy performed on September 8, 2016, and the witness samples remaining from the tissues taken during the autopsy needed to be re-analyzed.
It was emphasized that evaluating the samples taken after the exhumation together with new analyses was critical for revealing the cause of death.
"THE POSSIBILITY OF INTENTIONAL KILLING CANNOT BE SCIENTIFICALLY RULED OUT"
The expert's evaluation in the conclusion section was of a nature that could change the course of the investigation.
Noting that Denizolgun was in an advanced state of decomposition at the time of the autopsy, the expert recorded that under today's conditions, it was not possible to scientifically and objectively rule out the possibility of intentional killing by covering the mouth and nose with a pillow based solely on the marks on the chest.
Thus, in the incident recorded as a "natural death" in 2016, the possibility that another mechanism of death could exist was left open from a forensic medicine perspective.
JOINT EVALUATION REQUESTED FROM TWO FORENSIC MEDICINE BOARDS
The expert stated that the file needed to be examined at a more advanced level to determine the final cause of death. The report stated that following the new analyses to be conducted, the 1st Forensic Medicine Specialization Board and the 5th Forensic Medicine Specialization Board of the Council of Forensic Medicine should conduct a joint evaluation.
It was noted that through this joint examination, the cause and manner of Arif Ahmet Denizolgun's death on the date of the incident should be clearly and objectively established.
INVESTIGATION EXPANDED TO INCLUDE "MURDER" CHARGE
Following the findings in the expert report, the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office expanded the investigation. In light of the expert assessment that the death was "suspicious," the Chief Prosecutor's Office is continuing the investigation against Alihan Kuriş and other suspects, initially under the scope of the crime of "Murder."
In the case file, alongside the "natural death due to cerebral hemorrhage" decision given 10 years ago, pre-death bruises on the chest, heavy metal findings, autopsy images, samples obtained from the exhumed grave, and new witness statements will now be evaluated together.
With the expert report dated August 25, 2026, a new era has begun in the 10-year file regarding the death of Arif Ahmet Denizolgun, in which the acceptance of "natural death" has been replaced by a renewed and comprehensive investigation into the true cause of death.