Süleymancılar investigation: Doctor’s testimony over Arif Ahmet Denizolgun’s death revealed
Translated from Turkish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
News
Documents & data
In the courts
- Doctor Nurettin Demirkol’s testimony contains discrepancies about the emergency call, his relationship with Arif Ahmet Denizolgun and his location at the time of Denizolgun’s death.
- Call records indicate that a report came from Demirkol’s phone, while he said he could not remember whether he or someone else made the call.
- Prosecutors also questioned discrepancies between his account and phone-location records, as well as calls linked to Hisar Hospital.
Doctor Nurettin Demirkol, detained in the investigation into the death of former Transport Minister Arif Ahmet Denizolgun, told a magistrate’s court that he could not remember who made the emergency call. Records from the Riva Police Station’s emergency-call transcript indicate that the report came through a phone used by Demirkol. The caller introduced himself as the family doctor and said the death was suspicious.
I do not remember whether I called that day or someone else did. Someone else may have called from my phone.
Asked about the contradiction, Demirkol said, “I do not remember whether I called that day or someone else did. Someone else may have called from my phone.” Prosecutors then questioned why he could not remember making the initial report, although he recalled speaking with police several times that day. Demirkol replied that he had difficulty remembering even patients he had treated recently, adding, “About 10 years have passed since the incident.”
Demirkol also said he had left his phone in an open area at the scene and suggested that someone visiting the farm might have used it to make the report. His statements about his relationship with Denizolgun also came under scrutiny. Although he had previously said he was not Denizolgun’s private doctor, accounts by police and crime-scene officers recorded that a person at the scene introduced himself as the family doctor.
About 10 years have passed since the incident.
When asked about that description, Demirkol said, “I examined the deceased two or three times. But I do not know how someone becomes a family doctor. I do not know what is meant by that term.” Prosecutors also said the location information in his first statement did not match HTS records. Demirkol had said he was at his residence in Kısıklı, but prosecutors told him there was no base-station record in the area from 6:12 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2016, until 5:46 p.m. on Sept. 8.
I examined the deceased two or three times. But I do not know how someone becomes a family doctor. I do not know what is meant by that term.
Demirkol said it was impossible for him to have no base-station record for two days and that he had been at home, but he did not know why the records appeared that way. Prosecutors further cited calls made with a telephone registered to Hisar Hospital between 9:16 p.m. and 9:42 p.m. on Sept. 7, despite Demirkol’s statement that Denizolgun was already dead when he arrived. Demirkol said, “I do not remember the calls I made that day.”
I do not remember the calls I made that day.
About this summary
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
More Stories
From Our Blog
News in Translation: What Gets Lost, and How We Keep the Framing
Diaspora Media: How Communities Follow News From Home
Traveling Where the Press Is Not Free: How to Read the News There
The Digital Nomad's Guide to Local News
The Same Story, Different Countries: How Coverage Changes at the Border
