The Sentry

“The fight against corruption is imperative for protecting the integrity of markets and defending human rights, both at home and abroad.”
- Uzra Zeya, president and CEO of @humanrights1st.bsky.social

Check out our executive director, Justyna Gudzowska, in the new season of the Irish Sun podcast The Kinahan's Downfall, where she likens Dubai to Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars—a crossroads where the galaxy's rogues gather, regardless of their criminal (or sanctioned!) status. pod.link/1676062124

Azerbaijan hands long prison terms to former Karabakh officials An Azerbaijani military court issued long prison sentences on Thursday to 13 former officials of Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenians maintained an unrecognised breakaway statelet for three decade...

Last week, a military court in Baku handed lengthy jail terms to 13 former officials of Nagorno-Karabakh, and several more await trail, which critics say are a sham: www.reuters.com/world/azerba...

Azerbaijan: Aliyev Empire - Atlas Project Azerbaijan Aliyev Empire Two sisters, 148 companies, a $13 billion fortune. Search By People Companies Assets The Project In Azerbaijan, two sisters dominate the business world. Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva...

As we have reported, Azerbaijan is a repressive kleptocracy ruled by the Aliyev family, who have amassed a $13 billion business empire during their three-decade rule: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

The Washington-brokered peace deal with Armenia envisages greater US investment in Azerbaijan, but this comes with major corruption risks.

JD Vance’s Azerbaijan trip is the most high profile US visit in more than a decade. It presents a historic opportunity to focus on corruption, accountability, and long-term regional stability.

Corruption, conflict, and unchecked greed are accelerating worldwide. The Sentry follows the money, exposes wrongdoing, and pushes for accountability.

Every dollar is matched—but only until midnight tonight.

Give now to double your impact.
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Our 2025 Impact Report is out.

This year, The Sentry exposed corruption in Libya, Wagner’s failures in Mali, dirty money behind the war in Sudan, and more.

None of it happens without you.

Read the report → thesentry.org/our-impact

War and corruption are profitable. The Sentry exposes the networks behind them.

Through midnight on New Year’s Eve, every gift is matched dollar for dollar, doubling your impact on investigations in Sudan, the DRC, and Myanmar.

thesentry.givevirtuous.org/donate/suppo...

The Sentry follows the money to expose the networks profiting from war and human suffering.

Through midnight on New Year’s Eve, every gift is matched dollar for dollar.

Give now to double your impact.

thesentry.givevirtuous.org/donate/suppo...

When you’re next on Oxford Street, London, look up.
Ditch the Dubai selfie. #KeepEyesOnSudan

*𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘶𝘣𝘢𝘪 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘐-𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.

YouTube video by The Sentry End of Year Message | 2025 | The Sentry

The Sentry is deeply grateful to everyone who has generously supported our mission this year. Your generosity makes it possible for us to follow the money and expose the networks that profit from conflict and corruption.

We are sincerely thankful for your partnership.

youtu.be/RXTAhT3ydls

Speak Out On Sudan The UAE is fueling mass atrocities and genocide in Sudan. It’s time to act.

“The NBA is letting itself be used as a pawn to distract people from what the UAE is doing in the world. This partnership is not innocent – it is sportswashing and it hides the suffering of millions of Sudanese people behind a trophy."

Sign the petition: www.speakoutonsudan.org

NBA Cup faces pressure to terminate its partnership with Emirates over UAE’s alleged role in Sudan crisis | CNN Multiple human rights organizations are petitioning the National Basketball Association (NBA) to drop Dubai’s government-owned Emirates airline as a sponsor of the league’s in-season tournament, the E...

NBA Cup faces pressure to terminate its partnership with Emirates over UAE’s alleged role in Sudan crisis, per
@CNN #SpeakOutOnSudan

www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/s...

Arsenal agree new shirt sleeve sponsorship to replace Visit Rwanda from 2026-27 season Deel will replace the existing Visit Rwanda sponsorship — the eight-year sponsorship which expires at the end of the campaign.

Visit Rwanda deal "came under scrutiny due to the Rwandan government being accused of serial abuses by multiple human rights groups. Rwanda’s backing of the M23 militia in neighbouring Congo has amplified those concerns.” Per @nytimes.com @theathletic.com

www.nytimes.com/athletic/688...

Sudan Mercenaries Linked to Business Partner of Top UAE Bureaucrat - The Sentry November 2025 Download the full alert As the war in Sudan rages on and the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) killings of civilians in the western city El Fasher continues, reports have emerged of Colombian ...

The UN, UK and EU should investigate GSSG and Alzaabi urgently and, if appropriate, impose sanctions. The US Treasury should take a second look.

Read more about the Colombian mercenaries sanctioned today and Alzaabi's high level links to the UAE's top bureaucrat:

thesentry.org/reports/suda...

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Good to see sanctions imposed on the Colombian side of the operation to supply mercenaries to the brutal RSF.

What about the Emirati side though? UAE-registered Global Security Services Group, and its Emirati owner Mohamed Hamdan Alzaabi, are also allegedly involved.

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U.S. Sanctions Removal on Mining Magnate Would Set Back Peace and Investment in DR Congo The U.S. can help end looting, smuggling, and violent extraction of raw materials from the DRC and provide a better footing for peace.

The Trump admin is might remove anti-corruption #sanctions on mining magnate Dan Gertler, write John Prendergast and Sasha Lezhnev.

The authors say the move would significantly undermine U.S. efforts to broker peace in the DRC and access critical minerals:

www.justsecurity.org/122097/drc-p...

Who wins when F1 comes to Azerbaijan? See through the smoke with “Aliyev Empire,” our massive investigative project which maps the secret $13 billion empire amassed by the daughters of Azerbaijan's president amid the regime's corruption and brutal repression. atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

Mercenary Meltdown - The Sentry August 2025 Download the full report The first Wagner Group fighters arrived in Bamako in January 2022 to assist the Malian military junta in its counterterrorism campaign. Three and a half years late...

The Russian Wagner Group operations in Mali have created chaos and instability, resulting in paranoia and fractures within the Malian military junta.

Our new investigative report reveals what led to this moment: thesentry.org/reports/merc...

August 23 marked the two year anniversary of the death of Wagner Group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin.

What's happened with Wagner Group's operations since then? The Sentry will be releasing new details in an investigative report this Wednesday. Stay tuned...

Sign up: thesentry.org/email-signup

Adut Kiir, daughter of President Salva Kiir, took the oath to become presidential envoy today. She's been involved with at least seven companies that are critical to South Sudan's economy. Dig into the links between the Kiir family and South Sudan's economy: atlas.thesentry.org/kiirdom/netw...

F1: The Movie goes live on streaming services today.

But behind the excitement and glam of the track, the UAE is also funding something far darker: genocidal militias and war in Sudan.

Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, F1 will you choose silence and fame, or will you speak out on Sudan?

Azerbaijan: Aliyev Empire - Atlas Project Azerbaijan Aliyev Empire Two sisters, 148 companies, a $13 billion fortune. Search By People Companies Assets The Project In Azerbaijan, two sisters dominate the business world. Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva...

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Behind the optics lies endemic corruption and repression. Aliyev Empire maps how President Aliyev’s family amassed a $13 billion fortune during his time in office, while jailing his critics: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

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And Aliyev, long criticized for authoritarianism, media repression, and widespread corruption, is now being portrayed as a regional statesman and peace maker.

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The agreement leaves many critical issues unaddressed, including the 23 Armenian prisoners captured by Azerbaijan during the Karabakh conflict, who are facing a sham military trial in Baku for alleged terrorism.

The peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has rightly been described as historic — but it is also a peace washing PR coup for President Ilham Aliyev. 🧵

Evidence from the UN and human rights groups show that 23 Armenian detainees, including prominent leaders, are being held in prisons in Baku absent independent oversight.

“Aliyev Empire” digs into the kleptocratic regime behind the repression in Azerbaijan: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...

An Ever-Watchful Sentry From exposure toward impact: What happens after publication?

When we publish an investigative report, that's not the end of the story—in fact, it's just the beginning.

In our latest Sidebar blog, we reveal the often-overlooked work that takes place behind-the-scenes to ensure our investigations make a lasting impact: medium.com/the-sentry-s...

🇦🇿 🇦🇲 Leaders meet. Deals are made. Yet 23 Armenians are still detained, without fair trials, in Azerbaijani prisons with reports of torture.

Meanwhile, President Aliyev's daughters have amassed a fortune. “Aliyev Empire” exposes their financial empire: atlas.thesentry.org/azerbaijan-a...