Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish men consented to work covertly to expose a organization behind illegal main street establishments because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

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

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running mini-marts, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across the UK, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was involved.

Equipped with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to work, looking to buy and operate a small shop from which to distribute illegal cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to reveal how simple it is for an individual in these conditions to establish and run a commercial operation on the commercial area in plain sight. Those participating, we learned, compensate Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the enterprises in their identities, helping to fool the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also managed to covertly film one of those at the core of the operation, who stated that he could eliminate government sanctions of up to £60,000 imposed on those using unauthorized laborers.

"Personally sought to participate in revealing these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent us," explains one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant personally. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The investigators recognize that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are high in the UK and state they have both been worried that the inquiry could intensify tensions.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized labor "harms the whole Kurdish community" and he believes compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, Ali mentions he was worried the reporting could be used by the extreme right.

He states this especially struck him when he discovered that extreme right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was occurring in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating covertly. Placards and flags could be spotted at the protest, showing "we demand our country returned".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media feedback to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish community and explain it has caused strong anger for some. One social media post they observed said: "How can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another called for their families in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also read claims that they were informants for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish population," Saman says. "Our objective is to uncover those who have harmed its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish identity and deeply troubled about the activities of such persons."

Most of those applying for refugee status state they are escaping politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that assists asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, experienced challenges for many years. He explains he had to live on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which provides food, according to official guidance.

"Practically stating, this isn't sufficient to sustain a respectable lifestyle," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prohibited from employment, he believes many are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are effectively "forced to work in the unofficial market for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the government department stated: "We are unapologetic for refusing to grant refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would establish an reason for people to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee applications can take multiple years to be processed with nearly a third requiring more than 12 months, according to government statistics from the late March this current year.

Saman states working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely easy to achieve, but he informed the team he would not have done that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he met employed in unauthorized convenience stores during his work seemed "lost", especially those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals expended all of their savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

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