Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background men decided to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal main street enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they state.

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

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was running convenience stores, hair salons and car washes the length of Britain, and sought to discover more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Equipped with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no right to be employed, looking to acquire and operate a small shop from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how simple it is for an individual in these situations to establish and operate a business on the commercial area in plain sight. Those involved, we found, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the operations in their identities, helping to mislead the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also were able to discreetly film one of those at the heart of the operation, who claimed that he could eliminate government sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I wanted to play a role in revealing these unlawful practices [...] to declare that they do not speak for Kurdish people," says one reporter, a former refugee applicant himself. Saman came to the country without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a area that straddles the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his life was at threat.

The investigators admit that tensions over illegal migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and say they have both been concerned that the investigation could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized employment "damages the entire Kurdish-origin community" and he considers obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, the journalist mentions he was concerned the coverage could be exploited by the extreme right.

He explains this notably affected him when he discovered that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the rally, reading "we demand our nation back".

Both journalists have both been observing social media feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has sparked significant outrage for some. One social media message they spotted read: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

A different urged their families in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen claims that they were agents for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish community," one reporter states. "Our objective is to reveal those who have compromised its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and extremely concerned about the behavior of such people."

Most of those seeking refugee status say they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a charity that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to live on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which provides food, according to government policies.

"Practically stating, this isn't sufficient to maintain a acceptable lifestyle," says Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly restricted from employment, he thinks many are susceptible to being exploited and are practically "obligated to work in the illegal market for as little as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "The government do not apologize for refusing to grant refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would establish an motivation for people to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can take years to be decided with approximately a third requiring more than a year, according to government figures from the spring this current year.

The reporter says working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite simple to do, but he explained to us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered working in unauthorized mini-marts during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"They spent their entire savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these individuals seemed desperate.

"If [they] state you're prohibited to work - but also [you]