Istanbul University has revoked the master’s degree of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of Istanbul and presidential candidate, citing procedural violations in his academic enrollment, the BirGün daily reported.
The decision was issued by the university’s Social Sciences Institute on July 24, following a review that concluded İmamoğlu did not meet the enrollment requirements for its master’s program in Human Resources Management. University officials said he lacked a valid undergraduate degree at the time of admission, a violation of academic rules set forth in the university’s 1987 student regulations.
The university also ordered the removal of İmamoğlu’s graduation records from the Academic Information System (AKSİS) and the national Higher Education Information System (YÖKSİS), and the deletion of his thesis from the National Thesis Center, which is overseen by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
The master’s diploma annulment follows the March 18 cancellation of İmamoğlu’s bachelor’s degree, which Istanbul University said had been issued in error. Officials argued that his 1990 transfer from Girne American University in northern Cyprus to Istanbul University did not meet legal standards at the time. The transfer was described as “null” and “an obvious mistake,” and the university retroactively voided his undergraduate credential.
İmamoğlu’s legal team has not publicly commented on the most recent revocation but has previously described the diploma controversy as politically motivated.
Turkish law requires that presidential candidates have a valid bachelor’s degree, meaning the annulled diplomas could disqualify İmamoğlu from the 2028 election. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) has nonetheless confirmed its support for his candidacy.
The revocations come as İmamoğlu faces escalating legal challenges. In July a court sentenced him to 19 months in prison for insulting and threatening Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gürlek. The sentence follows an earlier conviction in December 2022, when İmamoğlu was given two years, seven months in prison for calling members of Turkey’s top election board “fools.” The verdict is currently under appeal.
Beyond these convictions, İmamoğlu is involved in several high-stakes investigations. The mayor, seen as the strongest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested on March 23 on corruption charges, widely seen as politically motivated. His detention on March 19 led to widespread protests unseen in Turkey since the anti-government protests of 2013.
Prosecutors are also pursuing allegations that his political alliance with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) was coordinated by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
In addition, prosecutors are investigating claims of bribery and vote manipulation tied to the CHP’s internal congress in November 2023, where İmamoğlu played a prominent role. He remains a suspect in that case.
The legal and academic measures have drawn widespread criticism from opposition leaders and international observers, who view the campaign against İmamoğlu as politically motivated. His supporters argue the government is systematically targeting Turkey’s most prominent opposition figure to remove him from the 2028 presidential race, where he is widely regarded as President Erdoğan’s most formidable challenger.
Despite the mounting charges, the CHP has reaffirmed İmamoğlu’s candidacy, framing the legal onslaught as a politically orchestrated effort to dismantle democratic opposition in Turkey.
İmamoğlu gained national recognition after winning Istanbul’s mayoral election in 2019, defeating a candidate from Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in what was widely seen as a major blow to Erdoğan’s political dominance. He had previously served as mayor of the Beylikdüzü district in İstanbul.
A court hearing in the diploma-related criminal case is scheduled for September 11. İmamoğlu remains in pretrial detention at Marmara Prison in Silivri, outside Istanbul. His lawyers have indicated plans to appeal both the academic and legal rulings.
