The Reasons We Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish-background men consented to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal commercial enterprises because the wrongdoers are damaging the reputation of Kurds in the Britain, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both lived legally in the UK for many years.

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was operating convenience stores, hair salons and car washes across Britain, and wanted to learn more about how it worked and who was participating.

Equipped with covert cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, attempting to purchase and manage a mini-mart from which to sell illegal tobacco products and vapes.

They were successful to uncover how easy it is for an individual in these situations to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in public view. Those participating, we found, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their names, assisting to deceive the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to discreetly film one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I sought to play a role in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for Kurdish people," says one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the country illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that spans the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his well-being was at risk.

The investigators admit that conflicts over unauthorized migration are elevated in the UK and explain they have both been worried that the inquiry could worsen conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized employment "damages the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he considers obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, Ali says he was anxious the publication could be used by the radical right.

He explains this especially struck him when he noticed that radical right activist a prominent activist's national unity rally was happening in London on one of the weekends he was working undercover. Placards and banners could be observed at the protest, reading "we demand our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring social media response to the exposé from within the Kurdish community and report it has caused intense frustration for some. One social media message they observed read: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

Another called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen allegations that they were agents for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter explains. "Our objective is to uncover those who have damaged its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply worried about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those applying for refugee status state they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He states he had to live on under twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now get about £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which includes meals, according to official guidance.

"Realistically saying, this isn't sufficient to sustain a respectable lifestyle," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are generally restricted from working, he thinks many are open to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the unofficial market for as little as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the government department commented: "The government are unapologetic for refusing to grant asylum seekers the right to work - granting this would establish an incentive for people to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can require years to be decided with almost a one-third requiring more than one year, according to government data from the spring this year.

The reporter says working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to accomplish, but he informed us he would not have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he says that those he interviewed laboring in illegal convenience stores during his work seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"They used all of their money to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali agrees that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] declare you're forbidden to be employed - but additionally [you]