İstanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on Monday refused to defend himself during a trial over alleged diploma fraud after the court moved the hearing to a smaller courtroom, Turkish media reported.
The second hearing, moved just hours before due to “technical issues,” blocked many of İmamoğlu’s lawyers and supporters from entering, prompting İmamoğlu and his legal team not to attend the hearing.
The hearing was later moved to a larger room in response to the protests, but İmamoğlu still declined to appear. He was brought in by force on the judge’s order but refused to deliver a defense statement and requested a postponement, citing the absence of his lawyers who had left amid the earlier dispute. The next hearing is scheduled for December 8.
The judge also denied Mehmet Pehlivan, one of İmamoğlu’s lawyers, permission to attend via the judicial teleconference system (SEGBİS). Pehlivan was arrested in June on charges of “membership in a criminal organization.” Prosecutors claim his legal work amounted to aiding a so-called “crime ring,” allegations he has denied.
Officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) described the events as a violation of the right to a fair trial. CHP İstanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik said the court had breached the principles of transparency and the presumption of innocence, claiming that the hearings were being “kept out of public view.”
The first hearing in the case was held on September 12.
İstanbul University nullified İmamoğlu’s diploma in March, citing alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus. The annulment sparked student-led demonstrations that were met with heavy police intervention.
A university degree is a legal requirement for presidential candidates in Turkey, making the diploma case critical to İmamoğlu’s candidacy. The 54-year-old was nominated by the CHP as its presidential candidate shortly after his arrest.
İmamoğlu, seen as the main political threat to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule, faces a prison sentence of up to eight years, nine months and a political ban on charges of “repeatedly forging official documents.”
İmamoğlu, who faces multiple investigations including separate claims of corruption and ties to terrorism, has been sentenced to two terms in prison, including one for allegedly insulting a public prosecutor. Both sentences are under appeal, but opposition leaders claim the charges are politically motivated.
The CHP has denounced the charges as part of a government strategy to sideline opponents and secure another five years in office for President Erdoğan. Government officials deny that claim, insisting that Turkey’s courts are independent.
İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and arrested days later on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated, with his arrest sparking Turkey’s worst protests in decades. Since he is still behind bars, his mayoral duties are currently being performed by a deputy.
İmamoğlu was first elected mayor of Istanbul in March 2019, in a landmark victory that ended decades of control by Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the city of 16 million. After the AKP challenged the results, authorities ordered a rerun of the municipal election, which İmamoğlu won by an even wider margin. He retained his seat in last year’s local elections, when the CHP made further gains against the governing party.
