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

A pair of Kurdish individuals agreed to go undercover to reveal a organization behind illegal High Street enterprises because the lawbreakers are causing harm the standing of Kurds in the Britain, they say.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was managing mini-marts, hair salons and car washes the length of the United Kingdom, and wanted to find out more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Armed with covert cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, seeking to buy and operate a small shop from which to distribute contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to uncover how straightforward it is for someone in these circumstances to start and operate a commercial operation on the main street in public view. The individuals involved, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the operations in their names, enabling to fool the officials.

Ali and Saman also were able to discreetly record one of those at the core of the network, who asserted that he could erase government penalties of up to £60,000 faced those using illegal laborers.

"I sought to contribute in revealing these unlawful activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent us," states one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his life was at risk.

The investigators acknowledge that conflicts over illegal immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the inquiry could intensify hostilities.

But Ali states that the unauthorized employment "damages the whole Kurdish community" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, Ali mentions he was anxious the publication could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He explains this notably impressed him when he discovered that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity march was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the protest, showing "we want our country back".

The reporters have both been observing online feedback to the exposé from within the Kurdish community and explain it has caused significant outrage for certain individuals. One Facebook message they spotted stated: "In what way can we find and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

A different called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also seen allegations that they were agents for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish community," Saman states. "Our objective is to uncover those who have harmed its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and extremely worried about the activities of such people."

The majority of those seeking asylum state they are escaping political discrimination, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He says he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Asylum seekers now get approximately £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which provides meals, according to Home Office regulations.

"Practically speaking, this is not adequate to maintain a respectable lifestyle," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely prohibited from working, he believes many are vulnerable to being exploited and are practically "obligated to work in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the Home Office commented: "We are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the permission to be employed - doing so would establish an motivation for individuals to come to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee cases can take multiple years to be decided with approximately a one-third taking over 12 months, according to official figures from the spring this year.

Saman explains being employed without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite easy to do, but he explained to the team he would never have done that.

However, he explains that those he met working in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all of their savings to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these individuals seemed desperate.

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