section_path: Mayor of Istanbul (2019–present)/2025 arrest
section_name: 2025 arrest
paragraph_text: 2025 arrest
  
  On 19 March 2025, İmamoğlu was arrested by Turkish Police on charges related to alleged corruption along with more than 100 people. He was also alleged to have aided the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). On 18 March 2025, Istanbul University annulled İmamoğlu's degree, citing irregularities, which blocks him from running for president. The decision came just days before the opposition was set to nominate him as a presidential candidate for the 2028 election. He was visited in prison 11 days later by an EU delegation led by Katarina Barley.
  
  Following his arrest, İmamoğlu's party, the CHP, called it a "civilian coup" and called for nationwide protests. Subsequently, the governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, imposed a four-day ban on protests in the city. The government also restricted access to several social media platforms following the detention. Despite the restrictions, protesters gathered outside Şişli Municipality and held slogans in support of İmamoğlu.
  
  Despite assembly bans and police crackdowns, hundreds of thousands have rallied, with nearly 1,900 people detained since the protests began. Opposition leader Özgür Özel condemned the arrests, accusing the government of attempting to intimidate and silence dissent. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed the protests, warning that those inciting unrest " have nowhere to go ".