Istanbul’s jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, appeared in a prison courtroom Friday to face charges that he fraudulently obtained his university diploma, opening a high-stakes trial against the popular opposition figure whose arrest earlier this year set off nationwide protests, Turkish media reported.
During Friday’s hearing İmamoğlu used his opening remarks to accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long faced rumors about whether he graduated from university himself, of orchestrating the case.
“The prosecutor did not write this indictment. It was written by the person who knew that I would defeat him in the next election,” he said.
İmamoğlu was greeted with cheers and applause from supporters as he entered the Silivri Prison courtroom. His family, senior opposition politicians and former university classmates attended the hearing, according to media reports.
İmamoğlu, seen as the main political threat to President Erdogan’s 22-year rule, faces a prison sentence up to over eight years and a political ban on charges of forging official documents. Istanbul 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 Republican People’s Party (CHP) as its presidential candidate shortly after his arrest.
İmamoğlu, who faces multiple investigations including separate claims of corruption and ties to terrorism, has been sentenced to two prison terms, 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 reject 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.
The main opposition CHP has been under mounting government pressure since early 2025.
More than 500 people linked to the party or the İstanbul Municipality have been detained or arrested since March.
Among them are 14 CHP mayors, including İmamoğlu, who was also suspended from office.
The party and its supporters say the operations targeting the CHP are designed to neutralize elected officials and sideline opposition leaders after the party’s gains in the March 2024 local elections.
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.
In a separate case scheduled for Monday, a court is expected to rule on whether to annul the CHP’s 2023 party congress, a decision that could unsettle the party’s leadership.
International human rights groups and lawmakers in Europe have raised concerns over the rule of law in Turkey, warning that the mass detentions and legal pressures could further erode democratic norms. The Marmara Prison in Silivri, where many opposition figures, including İmamoğlu, are being held, has become a symbol of the country’s deepening political tensions.
