A Turkish court has rejected a request to temporarily lift an international travel ban on the son of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, preventing the young physics researcher from presenting his work at a scientific conference in Germany,
According to the Halk TV news website, the İstanbul 40th High Criminal Court denied Mehmet Selim İmamoğlu’s application. An appeal lodged by his lawyers against the decision was also rejected.
His research was accepted by the German Physical Society, one of Europe’s leading physics associations. The conference is scheduled to take place at the Technical University of Dresden from March 8 to 13.
Dilek İmamoğlu, the mayor’s wife, announced the ruling in a post on X on Friday, criticizing what she described as interference in a young scholar’s academic future. “It is unacceptable for political ambitions to stand in the way of a young person’s scientific career,” she said.
Mehmet Selim İmamoğlu is standing trial along with his father, grandfather and uncle on charges of “laundering of assets derived from crime.” The first hearing in the case is scheduled for March 9.
Ekrem İmamoğlu, a leading figure in Turkey’s main opposition and widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was detained on March 19 and arrested days later on corruption charges. Critics and international observers say the case is politically motivated, aimed at sidelining a major challenger ahead of the 2028 general election.
