Why We Went Covert to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish-background individuals agreed to go undercover to expose a operation behind unlawful main street enterprises because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they explain.

The pair, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish journalists who have both resided lawfully in the UK for years.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was running small shops, hair salons and car washes the length of Britain, and wanted to discover more about how it functioned and who was participating.

Prepared with covert cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to work, looking to buy and manage a convenience store from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to reveal how easy it is for someone in these circumstances to set up and manage a commercial operation on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we found, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the operations in their identities, helping to deceive the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to secretly record one of those at the centre of the network, who stated that he could eliminate government penalties of up to £60,000 imposed on those employing unauthorized laborers.

"Personally sought to participate in uncovering these unlawful operations [...] to declare that they do not speak for us," states Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his well-being was at danger.

The journalists admit that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are high in the UK and state they have both been concerned that the investigation could worsen hostilities.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized labor "harms the whole Kurdish community" and he believes driven to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, Ali mentions he was anxious the coverage could be exploited by the radical right.

He states this especially affected him when he discovered that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Banners and flags could be spotted at the gathering, displaying "we demand our country back".

Both journalists have both been observing online feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish community and say it has caused intense anger for certain individuals. One social media message they found stated: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

Another urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also encountered accusations that they were spies for the British government, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman states. "Our goal is to expose those who have compromised its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and profoundly concerned about the activities of such persons."

The majority of those applying for asylum say they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a organization that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he initially came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to live on less than twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Refugee applicants now are provided about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which includes food, according to government policies.

"Realistically stating, this isn't adequate to maintain a dignified life," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

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 black market for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities stated: "We do not apologize for refusing to grant asylum seekers the authorization to be employed - granting this would generate an incentive for people to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum applications can require a long time to be decided with nearly a third taking more than a year, according to government statistics from the spring this current year.

Saman explains being employed illegally in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been very simple to do, but he told the team he would not have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he encountered working in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals used all of their savings to come to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've lost everything."

Ali concurs that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"If [they] say you're not allowed to be employed - but simultaneously [you]