Why We Chose to Go Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish men decided to go undercover to expose a organization behind illegal High Street enterprises because the lawbreakers are damaging the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they say.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided lawfully in the UK for many years.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was managing convenience stores, hair salons and car washes the length of Britain, and sought to discover more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Armed with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no authorization to work, looking to acquire and run a convenience store from which to distribute contraband tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to discover how simple it is for a person in these circumstances to establish and operate a enterprise on the High Street in plain sight. Those participating, we found, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their names, helping to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also were able to secretly document one of those at the heart of the organization, who stated that he could remove official penalties of up to sixty thousand pounds encountered those employing illegal laborers.

"Personally wanted to contribute in exposing these illegal activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent our community," states one reporter, a former asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the country illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his well-being was at risk.

The journalists admit that conflicts over illegal migration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the probe could worsen hostilities.

But Ali states that the illegal working "negatively affects the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he believes obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, the journalist mentions he was worried the publication could be used by the far-right.

He says this especially affected him when he discovered that radical right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working covertly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the protest, displaying "we demand our country returned".

Saman and Ali have both been tracking online response to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin population and report it has sparked strong anger for certain individuals. One social media message they observed read: "In what way can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

Another called for their families in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were agents for the British authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish population," Saman explains. "Our objective is to uncover those who have damaged its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and deeply troubled about the actions of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status say they are fleeing political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to live on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was processed.

Refugee applicants now get approximately forty-nine pounds a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which offers meals, according to government regulations.

"Practically saying, this isn't adequate to support a acceptable life," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are largely prohibited from working, he feels a significant number are open to being taken advantage of and are effectively "obligated to work in the unofficial sector for as low as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the authorities stated: "The government are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would create an incentive for people to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Asylum cases can take a long time to be resolved with approximately a one-third taking more than one year, according to government statistics from the end of March this year.

The reporter says being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite simple to do, but he explained to us he would not have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he says that those he met working in illegal convenience stores during his research seemed "confused", especially those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all of their funds to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed everything."

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

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