Jailed and suspended from office, former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is facing intensifying institutional and legal setbacks that could ultimately block his anticipated presidential candidacy.
On July 24, Istanbul University’s Institute of Social Sciences officially revoked İmamoğlu’s master’s degree, citing an invalid undergraduate transfer. University officials concluded that İmamoğlu had enrolled in the 1990s by transferring from a private university in Northern Cyprus that was not accredited by Turkey’s Higher Education Council (YÖK) at the time—rendering him ineligible for graduate studies under university regulations.
Following the ruling, the university ordered the erasure of his academic records from national databases (AKSIS and YÖKSIS) and the removal of his thesis from the National Thesis Center. His educational status has now been downgraded to high school graduate.
This institutional decision came just days after a July 17 court ruling, in which Istanbul’s 14th High Criminal Court sentenced İmamoğlu to 1 year and 8 months in prison for “publicly insulting a public official” and “issuing threats”—referring to remarks he made about Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during a panel discussion. Though acquitted of a separate charge of targeting officials involved in counterterrorism, the court also imposed a political ban, which—if upheld—would bar him from holding or running for public office.
The politically charged trial in Silivri was attended by İmamoğlu’s legal team, his wife and son, as well as Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel and numerous party officials. Tensions flared during the proceedings when the prosecutor objected to being addressed directly, prompting İmamoğlu to respond: “Is it forbidden to look at you, Mr. Prosecutor?” One judge dissented, arguing that İmamoğlu should have been acquitted of all charges.
Supporters in the courtroom chanted, “İmamoğlu is Turkey’s hope,” reflecting his popularity among opposition ranks and the broader public.
With both the degree revocation and court-imposed political ban now in effect, İmamoğlu’s presidential eligibility hangs in the balance. Turkish law mandates that presidential candidates hold a university degree—making the academic ruling particularly consequential, even if the political ban is overturned on appeal.
