The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish individuals agreed to work covertly to expose a organization behind unlawful main street enterprises because the lawbreakers are damaging the reputation of Kurds in the Britain, they explain.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish journalists who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for many years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was managing mini-marts, hair salons and car washes throughout Britain, and sought to find out more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Equipped with hidden cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, seeking to acquire and manage a mini-mart from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to uncover how easy it is for someone in these situations to set up and operate a business on the main street in full view. Those involved, we learned, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their names, assisting to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly film one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could remove government penalties of up to £60k imposed on those employing illegal employees.

"I aimed to play a role in exposing these unlawful operations [...] to declare that they do not represent us," says Saman, a ex- asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the country illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his well-being was at risk.

The investigators recognize that tensions over illegal immigration are significant in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the inquiry could intensify tensions.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized working "negatively affects the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he feels driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Furthermore, Ali says he was worried the coverage could be seized upon by the radical right.

He says this notably struck him when he realized that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Placards and banners could be seen at the gathering, displaying "we demand our country back".

The reporters have both been monitoring social media reaction to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has generated significant outrage for certain individuals. One social media post they spotted stated: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

One more demanded their families in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the UK authorities, and betrayers to other Kurds. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish community," Saman states. "Our goal is to reveal those who have compromised its reputation. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly troubled about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking refugee status claim they are fleeing politically motivated persecution, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, experienced challenges for many years. He states he had to live on less than twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which provides meals, according to Home Office policies.

"Honestly saying, this is not adequate to support a respectable existence," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are mostly prohibited from working, he thinks numerous are open to being taken advantage of and are essentially "obligated to labor in the illegal market for as low as three pounds per hourly rate".

A representative for the authorities commented: "We are unapologetic for not granting refugee applicants the right to be employed - granting this would generate an motivation for individuals to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum applications can require multiple years to be resolved with almost a one-third requiring more than one year, according to government data from the late March this year.

Saman says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been extremely simple to do, but he told the team he would never have done that.

However, he says that those he met working in unauthorized convenience stores during his research seemed "lost", particularly those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent all of their savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum rejected and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali agrees that these people seemed desperate.

"If [they] declare you're not allowed to work - but also [you]