The International 21st Forensic Medicine Days Congress, organized by the Forensic Medicine Institute at the Facilities of the Foundation for Strengthening the Justice Organization in Antalya, will be held from September 21 to 27. Forensic medicine and forensic science experts, academics, members of the judiciary, senior representatives of public institutions and executives of international organizations from 40 countries, alongside Türkiye, will gather at the congress.
The congress will feature 28 sessions
A total of 28 sessions will be held during the seven-day congress, including 23 scientific sessions and 5 oral presentation sessions. The event will feature 127 local and 48 international speakers, while 125 panelists will assess developments in forensic medicine and forensic sciences.
The sessions will address artificial intelligence and forensic sciences, digital evidence, digital forensic examinations, deepfake technologies, new-generation psychoactive substances, efforts to combat drug trafficking, forensic DNA and new-generation sequencing technologies. Identification following mass disasters, human rights, medical malpractice, disability assessments, traffic accidents and autonomous vehicles will also be on the congress agenda.
Forensic psychiatry, the forensic assessment of children, forensic pathology, forensic radiology, virtopsy, quality and standardization in forensic sciences, and international cooperation will also be discussed. In addition, sessions will cover forensic toxicology, forensic traumatology, forensic traffic investigations, forensic genetics, digital forensics, forensic document examination, health law and specialist training in forensic medicine.
The congress will focus on addiction and expert testimony
Forensic Medicine Institute President Dr. Hızır Aslıyüksek said that the institution has been providing expert services in Türkiye for nearly two centuries and has operated under the Ministry of Justice since 1917. Aslıyüksek said that approximately 1,000 forensic medicine specialists and a total of 3,500 staff work at the institution.
Aslıyüksek said that the Forensic Medicine Institute concluded 966,000 cases in 2025 and 506,000 cases in the first six months of 2026, adding that an average of 6,000 autopsies in Istanbul and 30,000 nationwide are reported to judicial authorities each year. He said the institution provides services through 16 group directorates across all 81 provinces.
Aslıyüksek said that the Forensic Medicine Institute’s drug toxicology laboratories were ranked among the world’s top three in a United Nations study on drugs that examined 17 laboratories. He said that approximately 400,000 convicted prisoners are held in Türkiye and that one-third of them are incarcerated for drug-related offenses, adding that the congress’s main theme would be “Addiction and Expert Testimony in the World.”
Judicial and academic representatives will also attend
Members of the Court of Cassation, at least one member from each chamber of the Council of State and the heads of those chambers, members of the Constitutional Court, and academics from the forensic medicine departments of law and medical faculties will also attend the congress. Experts from TÜBİTAK, the Ministry of Health, approximately 50 universities, the Gendarmerie Criminal Department and the Police Criminal Department are also expected to participate.
Aslıyüksek said that 831 people had registered for the congress so far, adding that the event would be the most comprehensive forensic medicine and forensic sciences congress hosted by Türkiye. He said participants would come from Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Americas.
