‘Former MP died of fish bone, not vaccine’

Bülent Sarıoğlu - ANKARA

Amid the speculations that former parliamentarian Haluk Pekşen lost his life due to the COVID-19 vaccine, a professor has refuted the claims, saying he died after a fish bone ruptured his esophagus.

Reacting to the news accusing the vaccine, Gazi University’s Esin Davutoğlu Şenol said she received information from the doctor who carried out the treatment. “It is clearly understood that the problem is not related to the vaccine.”

“I think they confused the pericardium inflammation with the heart muscle inflammation while reporting.”

Providing details on her social media account, Şenol said, “The fish bone tore the esophagus and caused the opening of the mediastinum, the main cavity in which the heart is located.”

Pekşen’s family also reacted to those claiming that the COVID-19 vaccine was behind the pericardial inflammation.

Reiterating that Pekşen didn’t get a booster shot recently and that the previous vaccines were months ago, the family said, “It has nothing to do with the vaccine at all, doctors are sure of this.”

“The comments made, especially the posts shared by specialist doctors who are not related to the subject, are completely wrong and sad,” the family said.

Pekşen, former deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), lost his life struggle, which lasted a month in two different hospitals in the Aegean province of Muğla’s Bodrum district and the capital Ankara, after he had just turned 61.

A funeral ceremony was held for Pekşen, a lawyer and lecturer who served as a parliamentarian for two terms, at the parliament on Sept. 18.

Born in the Black Sea province of Trabzon’s Yomra district in 1961, he graduated from Istanbul University’s Faculty of Law.

He had been a member of the Social Democracy Party (SODEP) before he joined the CHP in 1992. He served as party deputy in Trabzon between 2015-18.