Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals decided to go undercover to expose a operation behind illegal main street establishments because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish reporters who have both lived lawfully in the UK for a long time.

The team found that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was managing convenience stores, hair salons and car washes throughout the United Kingdom, and sought to discover more about how it worked and who was involved.

Prepared with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, seeking to purchase and manage a convenience store from which to sell contraband cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to discover how straightforward it is for someone in these circumstances to establish and manage a commercial operation on the High Street in full view. Those participating, we discovered, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the operations in their identities, helping to fool the officials.

Ali and Saman also were able to secretly film one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could remove government fines of up to £60,000 imposed on those hiring illegal laborers.

"I aimed to participate in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to declare that they do not speak for our community," states one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant personally. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that spans the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his safety was at threat.

The journalists admit that tensions over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the inquiry could worsen conflicts.

But Ali states that the illegal labor "harms the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he considers compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, Ali mentions he was concerned the publication could be exploited by the extreme right.

He says this especially impressed him when he realized that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity rally was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Placards and flags could be observed at the protest, displaying "we want our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring social media feedback to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin population and report it has sparked strong anger for some. One Facebook post they spotted said: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

Another demanded their families in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were informants for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish community," Saman states. "Our objective is to uncover those who have damaged its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and extremely concerned about the activities of such persons."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a charity that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert journalist one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He explains he had to survive on under £20 a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which offers food, according to official guidance.

"Practically saying, this is not sufficient to sustain a acceptable existence," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are mostly restricted from employment, he believes a significant number are vulnerable to being manipulated and are essentially "compelled to labor in the unofficial sector for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the Home Office stated: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the authorization to be employed - granting this would create an motivation for people to migrate to the UK illegally."

Asylum applications can take years to be resolved with nearly a third taking over 12 months, according to official data from the end of March this year.

Saman explains being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been quite straightforward to do, but he informed the team he would not have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he met working in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"They spent all of their funds to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed everything."

The other reporter acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"If [they] state you're prohibited to be employed - but also [you]