The Reasons We Went Covert to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background men decided to go undercover to uncover a network behind illegal main street establishments because the wrongdoers are damaging the standing of Kurdish people in the Britain, they state.

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

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was managing mini-marts, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was participating.

Equipped with covert cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to work, seeking to acquire and run a convenience store from which to distribute unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to uncover how straightforward it is for a person in these conditions to establish and manage a enterprise on the main street in full view. The individuals participating, we found, pay Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, assisting to deceive the officials.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to covertly record one of those at the heart of the organization, who stated that he could erase official sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those using illegal laborers.

"Personally aimed to participate in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for Kurdish people," says one reporter, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter entered the UK without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a region that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his safety was at threat.

The journalists acknowledge that conflicts over illegal migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and say they have both been anxious that the investigation could intensify tensions.

But Ali says that the illegal working "harms the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he believes obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist explains he was anxious the coverage could be exploited by the extreme right.

He says this particularly struck him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Banners and flags could be observed at the gathering, showing "we want our nation returned".

Saman and Ali have both been observing online response to the exposé from inside the Kurdish community and explain it has sparked significant anger for some. One Facebook post they observed stated: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

Another called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were informants for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish population," Saman says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have damaged its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly concerned about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking refugee status state they are fleeing political persecution, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that helps refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He explains he had to survive on under £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which includes food, according to official regulations.

"Practically speaking, this is not adequate to maintain a acceptable lifestyle," says Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly restricted from working, he feels numerous are susceptible to being exploited and are essentially "obligated to work in the black market for as little as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the authorities commented: "We are unapologetic for not granting asylum seekers the right to work - doing so would establish an reason for people to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum applications can take multiple years to be resolved with almost a 33% requiring more than 12 months, according to government figures from the end of March this year.

Saman says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been quite straightforward to achieve, but he informed us he would not have engaged in that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he met employed in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

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

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

"When [they] state you're forbidden to work - but also [you]