The Reasons Our Team Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals consented to operate secretly to expose a network behind illegal commercial establishments because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they explain.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was operating small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout the UK, and aimed to discover more about how it worked and who was involved.

Armed with covert recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to work, looking to acquire and operate a convenience store from which to sell unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to uncover how straightforward it is for someone in these conditions to establish and run a business on the main street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we found, pay Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the operations in their names, assisting to deceive the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly film one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could erase official penalties of up to £60k faced those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I sought to contribute in uncovering these illegal activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not characterize Kurdish people," says Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the country without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his safety was at risk.

The investigators recognize that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and say they have both been worried that the inquiry could worsen conflicts.

But Ali explains that the illegal labor "negatively affects the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, the journalist says he was worried the reporting could be seized upon by the far-right.

He says this particularly affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity march was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working covertly. Signs and flags could be observed at the protest, showing "we demand our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media response to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin population and say it has caused strong outrage for certain individuals. One social media message they observed said: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

A different urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were informants for the UK authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish population," one reporter explains. "Our aim is to reveal those who have damaged its image. We are honored of our Kurdish identity and profoundly worried about the behavior of such persons."

Most of those applying for refugee status state they are escaping political persecution, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to live on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now get approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which includes food, according to government policies.

"Practically stating, this is not adequate to maintain a dignified life," says the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prevented from working, he believes a significant number are open to being manipulated and are essentially "obligated to labor in the unofficial sector for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the government department said: "We do not apologize for denying asylum seekers the right to work - granting this would establish an incentive for people to travel to the UK illegally."

Asylum applications can take a long time to be resolved with almost a 33% taking over one year, according to government statistics from the end of March this current year.

The reporter states working illegally in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been quite simple to accomplish, but he informed the team he would never have engaged in that.

However, he says that those he interviewed employed in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"They used all their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've lost their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed hopeless.

"If [they] declare you're prohibited to be employed - but additionally [you]