The Reasons We Went Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals consented to work covertly to uncover a network behind unlawful commercial establishments because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurds in the Britain, they say.

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

The team uncovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was running small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services across the UK, and sought to discover more about how it operated and who was involved.

Armed with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, looking to acquire and operate a mini-mart from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how simple it is for someone in these conditions to set up and manage a business on the main street in full view. Those involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to register the businesses in their names, helping to mislead the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly film one of those at the heart of the operation, who claimed that he could remove official fines of up to £60,000 imposed on those employing unauthorized employees.

"Personally aimed to play a role in uncovering these unlawful practices [...] to declare that they do not speak for us," states Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the country illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his well-being was at danger.

The investigators admit that conflicts over illegal immigration are elevated in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the probe could intensify tensions.

But Ali states that the unauthorized employment "damages the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he believes obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, the journalist explains he was anxious the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He explains this notably struck him when he noticed that extreme right activist a prominent activist's national unity rally was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Signs and banners could be seen at the gathering, showing "we demand our country returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring social media feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish population and report it has caused intense frustration for certain individuals. One Facebook post they found stated: "In what way can we identify and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

One more urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also seen accusations that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish community," Saman says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have harmed its image. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and deeply troubled about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, struggled for years. He explains he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now receive approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which offers food, according to government regulations.

"Realistically speaking, this is not adequate to support a acceptable existence," states the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are generally restricted from employment, he feels many are open to being taken advantage of and are essentially "obligated to labor in the illegal sector for as low as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the authorities said: "We are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the permission to be employed - granting this would generate an reason for people to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum cases can take multiple years to be resolved with almost a 33% taking more than a year, according to government statistics from the end of March this current year.

The reporter explains working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been extremely simple to accomplish, but he informed the team he would never have done that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed laboring in unauthorized convenience stores during his research seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all their savings to migrate to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've sacrificed everything."

The other reporter acknowledges that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"When [they] declare you're prohibited to work - but also [you]