Aliyev's Hidden Estates
The Azerbaijani exile outlet Meydan TV has published a new investigation. It shows where President Ilham Aliyev and his family actually live inside the country, beyond the already known properties in London or Dubai. More than a dozen villas and estates are spread across several regions of Azerbaijan, according to the outlet, several of them in specially protected natural or recreational areas. The findings were visualized in cooperation with the Urban Journalism Network. The satellite imagery required for this came from Vertical52, a project that grew out of our HelpDesk for exile media.
When the land registry is politically closed
For newsrooms like Meydan TV, which have worked from exile for years, restricted access to official registers is part of everyday journalism. According to the outlet, the Azerbaijani government now specifically blocks access to the online services of several state institutions for users outside the country. This makes it nearly impossible to verify property ownership from abroad through official sources. This is exactly where our work comes in.
Our contribution: satellite images as a substitute for the land registry
Where classic document research fails against political barriers, radar and optical satellite data often provide the only reliable evidence: when construction began, the size and location of a plot, changes over the years, and how a site is set apart from its surroundings. Vertical52 provided exactly this imagery for the Meydan TV investigation. The Urban Journalism Network then built the interactive maps and comparison views the newsroom used to illustrate its reporting. This combination of satellite data and editorial visualization is the core of what we offer exile newsrooms through our HelpDesk.
What the investigation shows
According to Meydan TV, an entire village, Kusnat in Gabala, home to sixteen families, was cleared for one of the president's properties. For another palace in Baku, more than 120 families are reported to have been relocated from an apartment block that was later demolished. At Lake Nohur, actually a public recreation area, the presence of a residence reportedly restricts access for local residents and tourists. According to the investigation, most of the identified properties are privately used by the family rather than official state residences. These findings come from the Meydan TV investigation. An independent check against official registers was not possible for the journalists, according to their own account.
A tool for newsrooms that must investigate from outside
Our HelpDesk for exile media was designed for cases exactly like this one. We support newsrooms that have no safe access to on the ground reporting or official sources in their home country with satellite based analysis, and where useful, with partners such as the Urban Journalism Network for visual production. The cooperation with Meydan TV shows how such gaps in reporting, deliberately left open by authoritarian governments, can be closed.
The work continues
Several journalists who have previously reported on exactly these topics, including investigative reporter Sevinj Vagifgizi, are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, according to Meydan TV. The newsroom says it will continue its satellite based investigations into the Aliyev family's property regardless. We are glad to keep supporting this work through our HelpDesk for exile media.
