The Reasons We Went Undercover to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals agreed to go undercover to uncover a organization behind illegal commercial enterprises because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the image of Kurds in the Britain, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin investigators who have both resided legally in the UK for a long time.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was managing small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services the length of the UK, and aimed to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with secret cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to work, looking to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to sell contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how easy it is for someone in these circumstances to start and operate a business on the commercial area in public view. Those participating, we found, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, helping to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to covertly film one of those at the core of the network, who stated that he could eliminate official fines of up to £60k imposed on those using unauthorized employees.

"I aimed to contribute in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to say that they don't characterize our community," says one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the UK without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his safety was at threat.

The reporters admit that tensions over unauthorized migration are elevated in the UK and say they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify tensions.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized labor "damages the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he believes driven to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, Ali explains he was worried the coverage could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He says this especially affected him when he noticed that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity protest was happening in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Placards and flags could be spotted at the gathering, showing "we demand our country returned".

The reporters have both been monitoring online reaction to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin community and report it has sparked significant anger for certain individuals. One social media comment they found stated: "How can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

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

They have also seen accusations that they were spies for the UK authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter explains. "Our goal is to uncover those who have harmed its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply troubled about the behavior of such individuals."

Most of those applying for asylum say they are fleeing politically motivated persecution, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a charity that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He says he had to survive on under £20 a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now are provided about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which offers food, according to Home Office policies.

"Realistically stating, this is not sufficient to maintain a dignified life," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are mostly restricted from working, he thinks numerous are susceptible to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to work in the illegal market for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities said: "We do not apologize for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would establish an incentive for individuals to travel to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum cases can take multiple years to be decided with almost a third taking over one year, according to official figures from the late March this year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been quite simple to achieve, but he explained to us he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he encountered laboring in unauthorized convenience stores during his research seemed "confused", notably those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"They expended all of their money to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"If [they] say you're forbidden to be employed - but also [you]