The Reasons We Went Undercover to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish-background men decided to operate secretly to reveal a network behind illegal commercial enterprises because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for a long time.

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating convenience stores, barbershops and car washes the length of Britain, and aimed to find out more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to work, looking to acquire and operate a mini-mart from which to trade unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to uncover how easy it is for a person in these circumstances to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to register the enterprises in their identities, helping to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also managed to secretly film one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could remove official sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those employing illegal laborers.

"I sought to play a role in revealing these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for Kurdish people," states Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that straddles the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at risk.

The reporters acknowledge that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and state they have both been concerned that the probe could inflame conflicts.

But Ali states that the unauthorized working "damages the entire Kurdish community" and he considers obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, the journalist explains he was anxious the reporting could be exploited by the radical right.

He states this notably impressed him when he realized that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Placards and flags could be seen at the protest, showing "we demand our nation returned".

The reporters have both been observing online reaction to the exposé from inside the Kurdish community and report it has sparked strong anger for some. One Facebook post they observed stated: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

One more called for their families in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also encountered accusations that they were agents for the UK authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish population," one reporter states. "Our objective is to uncover those who have compromised its reputation. We are honored of our Kurdish identity and extremely troubled about the actions of such persons."

The majority of those seeking refugee status state they are escaping politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He says he had to survive on under twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was processed.

Asylum seekers now receive about forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which includes food, according to government regulations.

"Realistically stating, this isn't enough to sustain a respectable life," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from employment, he thinks a significant number are open to being manipulated and are effectively "compelled to work in the illegal sector for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A representative for the government department said: "We make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the permission to be employed - doing so would establish an reason for individuals to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can take a long time to be decided with approximately a third requiring over a year, according to government figures from the end of March this current year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to accomplish, but he told the team he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered laboring in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"They expended their entire savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've lost all they had."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're prohibited to be employed - but simultaneously [you]