Her father, Arif Pashayev, is Rector of the National Aviation Academy in Baku,[1] and her mother, Aida Imanguliyeva (1939–1992) was a philologist and Arabist, daughter of the journalist and pedagogue Nasir Imanguliyev.

[2][3][5] From 1988–92, Mehriban Aliyeva worked at the State Research Institute of Eye Diseases of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow, which was led by Dr. Mikhail Krasnov.

"[10] The Heydar Aliyev Foundation also sponsors projects outside Azerbaijan, including helping to finance renovations at the Louvre Museum, Palace of Versailles, and Strasbourg Cathedral.

[16] The Sunday Times, writing in 2005 about Aliyeva's decision to run for the Azerbaijani parliament, described her as already wielding "considerable influence," and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation as "a powerful and wealthy institution set up to safeguard the late president’s legacy and support a number of educational and charitable projects.

[3] During her MP period, Mehriban Aliyeva appealed to Milli Majlis for the adoption of amnesty acts on 28 May – Republic Day.

[18] Freedom House reports that Heydar Aliyev Foundation headed by Aliyeva since its creation in 2014, while supporting cultural projects domestically and abroad, has been focusing on "burnishing the regime’s international image and advancing Baku’s official position on the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh".

When asked about the plight of imprisoned journalist Khadija Ismayilova and human rights advocate Leyla Yunus, Mehriban did not respond.

[24][25] In Azerbaijan, power is concentrated in the hands of Aliyev and his extended family, and human rights violations include torture,[26][27] arbitrary arrests, as well as harassment of journalists and non-governmental organizations.

[30] During a Baku visit, US officials claimed to be unable to immediately distinguish Aliyeva from her two daughters Arzu and Leyla thanks to the extensive operations.