Hakan Tosun, 50, was found unconscious after being assaulted as he walked home through the streets of Istanbul's Esenyurt district in October.

CCTV footage showed him being attacked by two people, with police confirming the arrest of two men, aged 18 and 24, over the incident.

Tosun was rushed to hospital but later died of his injuries.

"This report documents that the victim was beaten and died after a prolonged and horrific act of violence, which has been evident from the images from the beginning," the family lawyer Onur Cingil told AFP.

"There were several beatings especially many kicks to the head area, as seen in the images. And the report shows a skull fracture, leading us to conclude that death occurred due to the fatal blows to the head," he said.

"There were fractures in many places on his body, a blow to the skull. This was clearly what we saw in the footage. These were proven in the report," his sister Oznur told AFP.

"To us, the cause of death is clear: the blows he received," she told AFP, saying the prosecutor had requested a more detailed forensic report.

Tosun was known for his coverage and documentary work focusing on the struggle to protect the environment, urban activism and the fight against gentrification.

Rights activists have demanded a full investigation into his death.

Baris Altintas, director of the MLSA rights group, said the forensic report's findings "contradict the suspects' claims and underline that this was not an accident, but a fatal assault."

"For journalists in Turkey, this case resonates far beyond Tosun," she told AFP.

"It reflects a broader climate in which violence against journalists is met with delayed accountability and attempts to shift blame onto the victim. Impunity... encourages further attacks."