Why We Went Undercover to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish-background men decided to operate secretly to expose a network behind unlawful commercial establishments because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they state.

The two, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish reporters who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for years.

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating mini-marts, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was involved.

Prepared with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish refugee applicants with no right to be employed, seeking to purchase and operate a small shop from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to uncover how straightforward it is for an individual in these situations to establish and manage a enterprise on the High Street in full view. The individuals involved, we learned, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their names, enabling to mislead the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also were able to secretly film one of those at the centre of the network, who stated that he could erase government sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those using unauthorized workers.

"Personally wanted to contribute in exposing these unlawful operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not characterize Kurdish people," explains Saman, a former asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the UK without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a area that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a state - because his safety was at risk.

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

But Ali says that the unauthorized labor "negatively affects the entire Kurdish population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, Ali mentions he was worried the publication could be seized upon by the far-right.

He explains this especially struck him when he realized that extreme right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating undercover. Placards and flags could be seen at the rally, showing "we demand our country returned".

The reporters have both been observing online feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish community and report it has sparked significant outrage for some. One social media comment they observed said: "How can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another demanded their families in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were informants for the UK authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish community," one reporter says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply worried about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status claim they are escaping political oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Asylum seekers now receive about forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which offers food, according to Home Office regulations.

"Realistically saying, this isn't adequate to support a dignified life," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prohibited from working, he believes a significant number are open to being exploited and are effectively "obligated to labor in the black economy for as low as £3 per hour".

A official for the government department commented: "The government make no apology for denying refugee applicants the authorization to work - doing so would create an incentive for individuals to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum applications can require a long time to be decided with nearly a one-third taking over one year, according to official statistics from the spring this year.

Saman states being employed without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to accomplish, but he explained to us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he interviewed working in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "disoriented", especially those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"They used all of their funds to come to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"When [they] declare you're forbidden to be employed - but also [you]