Why We Chose to Go Covert to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish individuals agreed to go undercover to uncover a network behind unlawful main street establishments because the wrongdoers are damaging the reputation of Kurdish people in the Britain, they say.

The pair, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish reporters who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for years.

The team found that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was operating convenience stores, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was involved.

Prepared with secret cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, seeking to buy and run a mini-mart from which to distribute unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

The investigators were able to uncover how straightforward it is for an individual in these circumstances to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in plain sight. Those participating, we learned, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, assisting to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also managed to covertly film one of those at the centre of the network, who asserted that he could remove official fines of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those hiring illegal workers.

"Personally wanted to participate in exposing these illegal operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not characterize Kurdish people," states one reporter, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that covers the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his well-being was at danger.

The investigators acknowledge that conflicts over illegal migration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been worried that the inquiry could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized employment "harms the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he feels compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, the journalist mentions he was worried the coverage could be exploited by the far-right.

He explains this particularly affected him when he realized that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was happening in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Banners and flags could be observed at the gathering, displaying "we want our country back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin population and report it has sparked significant frustration for certain individuals. One social media message they found read: "In what way can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

Another urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also read claims that they were spies for the UK authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no aim of damaging the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter states. "Our aim is to uncover those who have compromised its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and extremely worried about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those applying for refugee status say they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a charity that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to survive on less than £20 a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which provides meals, according to Home Office guidance.

"Honestly speaking, this is not enough to maintain a acceptable life," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are largely prohibited from working, he thinks many are vulnerable to being manipulated and are essentially "forced to labor in the unofficial market for as low as three pounds per hour".

A official for the Home Office said: "The government do not apologize for refusing to grant asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would establish an motivation for people to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can take a long time to be processed with nearly a one-third requiring more than one year, according to government statistics from the end of March this year.

The reporter explains being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very straightforward to achieve, but he informed the team he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he encountered employed in illegal convenience stores during his research seemed "confused", especially those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"They used all their money to come to the UK, they had their asylum refused and now they've lost everything."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're not allowed to work - but simultaneously [you]