An Istanbul appellate court has rejected Ekrem İmamoğlu’s bid to suspend the enforcement of a lower court ruling that upheld the cancellation of his university diploma, in another legal setback for the jailed opposition figure and CHP presidential candidate.
The 7th Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Administrative Court ruled against İmamoğlu’s request for a stay of execution, meaning the annulment of his diploma will remain in force while the appeal process continues. The chamber found that the lower court’s decision was not of a nature requiring its enforcement to be suspended. Turkish media reports said the file will now continue to be reviewed on the merits.
The case stems from Istanbul University’s decision on March 18, 2025 to revoke İmamoğlu’s degree, citing irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a university in northern Cyprus into its Faculty of Business Administration. The move immediately triggered political controversy, with critics describing it as a highly consequential step against one of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s most prominent rivals.
The diploma case carries significance far beyond an academic dispute. Under Article 101 of Turkey’s Constitution, presidential candidates must have completed higher education. As long as the annulment remains in effect, the case continues to cast a shadow over İmamoğlu’s eligibility to run for the presidency.
The legal battle has unfolded alongside a broader political crackdown surrounding the Istanbul mayor. İmamoğlu was detained on March 19, 2025, one day after the university’s decision, and was formally jailed pending trial on March 23, 2025 as part of corruption-related proceedings he denies. He has since remained behind bars at Marmara Prison in Silivri, while the CHP moved ahead with endorsing him as its candidate for the next presidential election.
His lawyers will examine whether the case can be taken to the Council of State (Danıştay) within 30 days under Article 46, which allows further appeal in certain categories of administrative cases. Turkish case materials show that some diploma or graduation-related disputes do reach Danıştay, but whether this specific file qualifies for that route may depend on how the court legally classifies the dispute.
İmamoğlu’s lawyer had previously said that, if necessary, they would also pursue applications to Turkey’s Constitutional Court and then the European Court of Human Rights. But those would generally come after the ordinary domestic remedies are exhausted, not as an immediate way to halt Friday’s ruling.
For İmamoğlu and the opposition, the appellate court’s latest refusal does not close the file, but it does keep the diploma annulment active at a politically sensitive moment. Supporters argue the sequence of judicial and administrative actions has been designed to sideline Erdoğan’s strongest challenger, while the government insists Turkey’s courts are acting independently
