The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish individuals consented to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal commercial establishments because the criminals are damaging the image of Kurdish people in the Britain, they state.

The two, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for years.

The team found that a Kurdish crime network was running small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services the length of the United Kingdom, and sought to discover more about how it worked and who was participating.

Armed with secret cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, looking to acquire and run a convenience store from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how easy it is for an individual in these circumstances to establish and manage a business on the commercial area in full view. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to register the enterprises in their names, enabling to deceive the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also were able to discreetly record one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds encountered those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I wanted to contribute in uncovering these unlawful practices [...] to declare that they do not characterize our community," states Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his well-being was at threat.

The journalists recognize that disagreements over illegal immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But Ali states that the illegal employment "harms the entire Kurdish community" and he feels compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Furthermore, the journalist says he was worried the reporting could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He says this especially struck him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity protest was happening in London on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Placards and flags could be observed at the protest, showing "we want our country back".

The reporters have both been tracking online feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish community and say it has sparked significant anger for some. One social media message they spotted read: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

One more urged their families in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were spies for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish community," one reporter says. "Our goal is to expose those who have compromised its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and deeply concerned about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking asylum state they are escaping political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that assists asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than £20 a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which includes food, according to government policies.

"Honestly stating, this isn't sufficient to sustain a dignified lifestyle," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prevented from working, he thinks a significant number are open to being manipulated and are effectively "obligated to work in the unofficial market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the government department commented: "We do not apologize for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would create an incentive for individuals to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can require multiple years to be processed with nearly a 33% requiring over 12 months, according to official data from the late March this year.

The reporter states being employed without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been quite simple to achieve, but he told us he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he encountered working in unauthorized convenience stores during his work seemed "disoriented", especially those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals spent all of their funds to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're not allowed to work - but also [you]