Why Our Team Chose to Go Covert to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish individuals consented to go undercover to expose a operation behind illegal commercial enterprises because the criminals are causing harm the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they state.

The two, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was managing mini-marts, barbershops and car washes throughout Britain, and sought to discover more about how it functioned and who was participating.

Armed with secret recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no permission to work, attempting to buy and operate a mini-mart from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

The investigators were able to reveal how simple it is for a person in these circumstances to establish and run a commercial operation on the commercial area in full view. The individuals involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, enabling to mislead the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly record one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could erase government sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those using unauthorized laborers.

"I sought to contribute in uncovering these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent us," says one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant personally. The reporter entered the country illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that covers the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his safety was at threat.

The investigators acknowledge that tensions over illegal immigration are elevated in the UK and say they have both been anxious that the inquiry could inflame tensions.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized working "damages the whole Kurdish population" and he considers compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Furthermore, Ali says he was worried the publication could be exploited by the far-right.

He states this notably affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating covertly. Banners and banners could be observed at the rally, showing "we demand our country back".

The reporters have both been tracking online reaction to the exposé from inside the Kurdish-origin community and say it has caused strong outrage for certain individuals. One social media comment they found said: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

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

They have also seen allegations that they were spies for the British authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter says. "Our goal is to expose those who have damaged its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply concerned about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those seeking asylum claim they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He says he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was reviewed.

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

"Practically stating, this isn't adequate to support a respectable life," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prevented from employment, he believes numerous are vulnerable to being exploited and are practically "compelled to labor in the illegal economy for as low as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the authorities said: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would generate an reason for individuals to travel to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can require a long time to be resolved with approximately a third requiring over one year, according to government figures from the end of March this year.

Saman says working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been quite straightforward to achieve, but he told the team he would not have done that.

However, he says that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"They expended all of their money to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum refused and now they've forfeited everything."

Ali concurs that these individuals seemed desperate.

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