Sawt Falasteen - Thousands rally in Istanbul to mark year since mayor's arrest

Waving Turkish flags, crowds including university students chanted "President Imamoglu", in a show of support for the opposition CHP's candidate for the next presidential vote.

"We will win by resisting", they shouted.

Police heightened security around City Hall, which saw major clashes when police cracked down on protests a year ago.

The mayor was arrested on March 19, 2025 just days before he was to be formally named candidate for the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Turkey's next presidential elections, due by mid-2028.

The unexpected arrest was denounced by critics as a bid to hobble the chances of one of the few politicians seen as capable of beating Erdogan at the ballot box.

Imamoglu, 54, has remained behind bars, facing a growing array of cases, the biggest of which went to trial on March 9. Prosecutors are seeking to have him jailed for 2,430 years.

"It's all political," Yasemen Unlu, 63, told AFP as she stood behind the iron barriers despite the cold weather.

"He's been in jail for a year in vain. Imamoglu was a presidential candidate and one step ahead. There's nothing that holds up," she said.

-'Biggest rival'-

After the arrest vast crowds hit the streets daily, defying a protest ban in Istanbul and other big cities, with the biggest crowds gathering after dark, sparking running battles with riot police.

The rallies sparked a crackdown by the security forces, who arrested around 2,000 people, among them students, journalists and lawyers.

Although the protests eventually tailed off, the CHP continued to hold rallies across Turkey, boosting the party's standing in the polls.

Since the CHP won a resounding victory in March 2024 local elections against Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), it has faced a sweeping legal crackdown. Fifteen of its mayors are behind bars.

Analysts say Imamoglu almost certainly will not be able to contest the next election. Even if he was cleared of graft charges, another lawsuit aims to challenge the validity of his university degree -- a constitutional requirement for candidates in Turkey.

"I don't think there's any hope," Erkan Acar, one of the protesters, said.

"He is the biggest rival against Erdogan. They will hold him back, of course, and keep him isolated," the 39-year-old public employee said.

"We'll use every opportunity we get. We chose him. We cannot just leave him in prison like that."

Should Imamoglu be barred, political observers expect CHP leader Ozgur Ozel to emerge as the likely candidate for the presidential race.

I.Yassin--SF-PST