Ünal Erkan: key obituary facts
Is Ünal Erkan dead? Yes. Ünal Erkan died on October 29, 2026, at age 83.
Cause of death: Ünal Erkan's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Ünal Erkan known for?
He was a Turkish statesperson (born 1942).
More about Ünal Erkan
Born: 1 January 1942.
Place of birth: Erzurum.
Gender: male.
Occupation: politician.
Nationality: Turkey.
Ünal Erkan, a Turkish politician, died October 29, 2026, aged 83.
Born in Erzurum in 1942, he held senior roles in policing, regional administration and party politics. He headed police in Ankara and Istanbul before serving as chief of the General Directorate of Security from July 1991 to February 1992.
In 1987, Erkan was named in a controversial report by Mehmet Eymür of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, MIT. The report discussed senior civil servants and politicians, including Erkan, Nevzat Ayaz and Mehmet Ağar, and alleged connections with the Turkish mafia. From 1992 to 1995, Erkan served as governor of the OHAL state-of-emergency region. In 1996, he briefly held a cabinet post under Mesut Yılmaz, representing the True Path Party (DYP). Erkan was a Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) politician and served on its Central Executive Board, resigning from the board in 2007. His public career thus included city police leadership, a national security post, regional government, cabinet service and work on a party governing board. The roles took him through distinct parts of Turkey’s public administration and political life, from police command to government and party office.