Why Our Team Chose to Go Covert to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish men decided to go undercover to reveal a organization behind unlawful commercial establishments because the criminals are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for years.

Investigators found that a Kurdish criminal operation was running mini-marts, hair salons and car washes throughout the UK, and aimed to find out more about how it worked and who was participating.

Armed with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to work, seeking to acquire and manage a mini-mart from which to trade contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to discover how easy it is for someone in these conditions to start and operate a commercial operation on the commercial area in full view. Those involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the operations in their names, enabling to deceive the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly record one of those at the centre of the organization, who claimed that he could remove government sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those using unauthorized workers.

"Personally aimed to participate in revealing these unlawful operations [...] to say that they don't characterize Kurdish people," explains Saman, a ex- refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his well-being was at threat.

The reporters acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the probe could inflame tensions.

But the other reporter states that the illegal working "harms the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he believes driven to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

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

He states this notably affected him when he noticed that radical right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was taking place in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Placards and banners could be seen at the gathering, reading "we want our nation back".

Both journalists have both been tracking social media reaction to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has generated significant outrage for certain individuals. One Facebook comment they spotted read: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

One more urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the British authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish population," one reporter explains. "Our objective is to reveal those who have compromised its reputation. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply worried about the actions of such people."

The majority of those seeking refugee status claim they are fleeing political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He explains he had to live on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which offers meals, according to official regulations.

"Honestly speaking, this isn't sufficient to support a dignified life," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from working, he feels numerous are vulnerable to being manipulated and are effectively "obligated to labor in the unofficial sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the Home Office commented: "The government make no apology for refusing to grant asylum seekers the right to be employed - granting this would establish an motivation for individuals to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can require a long time to be decided with nearly a one-third requiring more than 12 months, according to government figures from the late March this current year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been very easy to accomplish, but he informed the team he would never have done that.

However, he explains that those he met employed in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", notably those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals used their entire money to come to the UK, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali agrees that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

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