Why We Went Covert to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals decided to work covertly to expose a organization behind illegal commercial enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurdish people in the Britain, they state.

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

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services the length of the United Kingdom, and sought to discover more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Equipped with secret recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, seeking to buy and manage a small shop from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to uncover how simple it is for someone in these conditions to establish and manage a business on the main street in full view. Those involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to legally establish the enterprises in their identities, helping to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly film one of those at the heart of the organization, who asserted that he could remove government penalties of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those hiring illegal laborers.

"I aimed to play a role in uncovering these unlawful operations [...] to declare that they do not characterize us," explains one reporter, a former refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at threat.

The journalists admit that tensions over unauthorized migration are significant in the UK and state they have both been anxious that the investigation could worsen conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the illegal employment "negatively affects the entire Kurdish community" and he considers obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist explains he was concerned the reporting could be used by the radical right.

He says this particularly struck him when he noticed that radical right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Placards and banners could be seen at the rally, displaying "we want our country back".

Both journalists have both been monitoring online response to the investigation from within the Kurdish population and say it has generated strong anger for certain individuals. One social media message they observed read: "In what way can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

One more urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also seen claims that they were agents for the British government, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish-origin population," Saman says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have harmed its reputation. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply worried about the behavior of such individuals."

Most of those applying for asylum say they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to live on less than twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive about £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which includes food, according to Home Office policies.

"Realistically speaking, this is not adequate to maintain a dignified life," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prohibited from employment, he thinks numerous are vulnerable to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the black market for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the Home Office said: "We make no apology for denying refugee applicants the right to be employed - granting this would generate an incentive for people to come to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can require a long time to be decided with almost a one-third taking over one year, according to government figures from the end of March this year.

The reporter explains working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very straightforward to accomplish, but he told the team he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he interviewed working in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "disoriented", especially those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"They spent all their funds to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali agrees that these people seemed in dire straits.

"When [they] declare you're not allowed to work - but additionally [you]