Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared Friday in a prison courtroom at Silivri Prison to face allegations that he fraudulently obtained his university diploma, marking the first hearing in a case that touched off nationwide protests earlier this year. He was met with cheering and applause as he entered the courtroom; family members, senior opposition politicians and former university classmates were reported to be in attendance.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of between two-and-a-half years and eight years and nine months and a political ban on the charge of alleged forgery of official documents. Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu’s diploma in March, citing alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus.
The diploma dispute and the university’s decision prompted student demonstrations in Istanbul that confronted police, and Imamoglu was arrested the day after the nullification on separate charges alleging corruption and links to terrorist organizations. He has remained in custody since that arrest. The detention and the subsequent mass demonstrations — described by local media as the largest in Turkey in more than a decade — helped consolidate national attention on Imamoglu and his party.
Imamoglu, the leading figure of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was chosen as the party’s presidential candidate shortly after his arrest. Turkish law requires possession of a university degree to be eligible for the presidency, making the status of his diploma central to his ability to mount a campaign against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has governed Turkey for more than two decades.
Silivri Prison, formally known as the Marmara Closed Penal Institution, also houses several CHP members detained amid a broader government crackdown on political opponents over the past year. Prosecutors have brought at least seven other criminal cases against Imamoglu, any of which could carry penalties that include political bans and effectively bar him from holding office.
The CHP has characterized the legal actions as part of a government offensive aimed at neutralizing the opposition and ensuring another term for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party. The government rejects that characterization and maintains that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
Separately, a court is due to rule Monday on whether to annul the CHP’s 2023 congress, a decision that could alter the party’s leadership structure and add to internal turmoil. Observers say the combined legal cases and party disputes have introduced a period of acute uncertainty for the opposition as it seeks to contest national-level power.
Imamoglu first rose to national prominence after narrowly winning the Istanbul mayoralty in March 2019. Authorities initially annulled that election and ordered a new vote, which Imamoglu won by a substantially larger margin. He retained the mayoralty in local elections the following year as the CHP made gains against the ruling party in several major municipalities.
The diploma case is proceeding within a broader legal and political contest that has significant implications for upcoming national politics. Court proceedings are ongoing, and the outcome of the diploma trial and related cases could determine Imamoglu’s ability to continue as a political leader and to pursue a presidential candidacy.