Turkish crowds protest in support of jailed Erdogan rival one year after arrest

Thousands of Turks gather in central Istanbul in support of jailed Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu at an opposition rally, one year after President Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival was arrested on corruption charges.

Supporters waving red party banners and Turkish flags gather at city hall for the rally by Imamoglu’s party, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has been the target of an unprecedented judicial crackdown since late 2024.

“Rights, law, justice,” the crowd chants as Imamoglu’s wife speaks at the rally.

The crackdown on the party is overshadowing Turkish politics ahead of elections expected by many to be held late next year. Imamoglu, the CHP’s presidential candidate, is now on trial in a corruption case that could extinguish his ambition of succeeding Erdogan as president.

Erdogan and the government deny political interference and say courts operate independently. They have not commented on the arrest anniversary.

Prosecutors accuse Imamoglu, 55, of leading a criminal organization through tender-rigging and bribery, charges he denies. His pre-trial imprisonment has drawn sustained protests from opposition supporters and criticism from rights groups, who say the case exemplifies the erosion of judicial independence in Turkey.

Opinion polls show Imamoglu performing strongly against Erdogan in any presidential race, while polling also suggests a tight race between the secularist CHP and Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AKP in parliamentary elections set to be held at the same time.