Why We Chose to Go Covert to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish-background men decided to operate secretly to expose a network behind illegal commercial enterprises because the criminals are damaging the standing of Kurds in the UK, they say.

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

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish crime network was operating small shops, hair salons and car washes the length of the UK, and sought to find out more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with hidden cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, seeking to buy and run a mini-mart from which to distribute contraband cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were successful to discover how simple it is for someone in these situations to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we learned, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, enabling to mislead the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also managed to covertly document one of those at the heart of the organization, who stated that he could erase government sanctions of up to £60k encountered those employing unauthorized employees.

"I aimed to play a role in revealing these illegal practices [...] to declare that they do not speak for our community," explains Saman, a ex- refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that straddles the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his life was at risk.

The investigators acknowledge that tensions over unauthorized migration are significant in the UK and explain they have both been worried that the probe could worsen tensions.

But Ali says that the unauthorized working "negatively affects the entire Kurdish-origin community" and he believes obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, Ali explains he was worried the publication could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He explains this especially affected him when he realized that radical right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Banners and flags could be observed at the protest, displaying "we want our nation returned".

The reporters have both been observing online feedback to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish community and explain it has generated strong frustration for some. One social media message they spotted read: "How can we identify and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

A different called for their relatives in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also seen allegations that they were agents for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish community," Saman says. "Our objective is to expose those who have compromised its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and extremely concerned about the behavior of such persons."

Most of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing political oppression, according to an expert from the a refugee support 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 initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which includes food, according to Home Office guidance.

"Honestly stating, this is not sufficient to sustain a acceptable life," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely restricted from working, he believes many are susceptible to being exploited and are essentially "compelled to labor in the unofficial sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the government department commented: "The government make no apology for denying refugee applicants the permission to be employed - doing so would generate an motivation for individuals to come to the UK illegally."

Asylum applications can require a long time to be decided with nearly a 33% taking more than 12 months, according to official figures from the late March this year.

Saman says working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to accomplish, but he informed us he would never have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he says that those he interviewed laboring in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used their entire savings to migrate to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've forfeited everything."

The other reporter acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] state you're prohibited to be employed - but simultaneously [you]