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Turkey: Appeal by Imamoglu against cancellation of his degree rejected

Published January 23, 2026, 17:16
Turkey: Appeal by Imamoglu against cancellation of his degree rejected

The Administrative Court of Istanbul unanimously rejected the appeal filed by Ekrem Imamoglu against the decision to revoke his university degree, ruling that serious and clear legal violations had occurred during the process of cancelling Imamoglu's degree. The case was filed by the Mayor of Istanbul and presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, after the decision of the University of Istanbul's Board of Directors to revoke his degree. The trial took place on January 15th and the decision was notified eight days later. The court emphasized that the competent administrative staff committed serious legal violations. Furthermore, it noted that Imamoglu's good faith could not be taken for granted, as it was unreasonable for him to ignore the legal defects and errors in the process. With this decision, Imamoglu's appeal is dismissed in its entirety, confirming the decision of the University of Istanbul to revoke his degree. This case has political dimensions, given that Imamoglu is one of the main opponents of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming presidential elections.