The Reasons Our Team Went Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish individuals agreed to go undercover to expose a operation behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the wrongdoers are damaging the standing of Kurds in the Britain, they explain.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both lived lawfully in the UK for many years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was running small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across the UK, and sought to find out more about how it operated and who was participating.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to be employed, attempting to buy and run a convenience store from which to sell unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

They were able to uncover how straightforward it is for an individual in these circumstances to set up and run a business on the High Street in full view. Those involved, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, assisting to mislead the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also managed to discreetly record one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could remove government fines of up to £60k faced those hiring unauthorized workers.

"I aimed to contribute in uncovering these illegal operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent us," says one reporter, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the UK without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at threat.

The reporters admit that disagreements over unauthorized migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the probe could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the illegal labor "harms the whole Kurdish community" and he considers driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, Ali mentions he was anxious the publication could be used by the radical right.

He says this notably struck him when he noticed that far-right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Placards and flags could be seen at the protest, displaying "we demand our country returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking social media reaction to the exposé from within the Kurdish population and report it has generated significant anger for certain individuals. One Facebook message they found stated: "How can we locate and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

A different called for their families in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also seen claims that they were agents for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish-origin population," Saman explains. "Our objective is to expose those who have damaged its image. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and profoundly worried about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to live on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which includes meals, according to official regulations.

"Honestly saying, this isn't enough to maintain a dignified existence," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from working, he thinks many are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to work in the illegal economy for as low as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the authorities commented: "The government make no apology for not granting refugee applicants the right to work - doing so would establish an reason for individuals to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum cases can take a long time to be processed with nearly a one-third requiring over 12 months, according to government figures from the spring this current year.

The reporter explains being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very easy to accomplish, but he explained to the team he would not have engaged in that.

However, he explains that those he encountered laboring in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"They expended all their funds to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

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

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