The Reasons Our Team Chose to Go Covert to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish individuals consented to operate secretly to expose a operation behind unlawful High Street enterprises because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they say.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was operating mini-marts, hair salons and car washes across the UK, and sought to find out more about how it worked and who was involved.

Armed with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, looking to acquire and run a mini-mart from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to discover how simple it is for an individual in these conditions to establish and manage a commercial operation on the commercial area in plain sight. Those participating, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK residency to register the operations in their names, assisting to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also managed to secretly document one of those at the centre of the network, who stated that he could erase government penalties of up to £60,000 encountered those employing unauthorized workers.

"I wanted to contribute in uncovering these illegal operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't characterize our community," states Saman, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter entered the country illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his life was at risk.

The investigators acknowledge that conflicts over illegal migration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could worsen tensions.

But the other reporter says that the illegal employment "negatively affects the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he believes driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Furthermore, the journalist says he was worried the reporting could be seized upon by the far-right.

He says this especially affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity rally was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Signs and banners could be observed at the rally, showing "we demand our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking online feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin community and say it has sparked strong frustration for some. One social media message they found stated: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

One more demanded their families in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our aim is to reveal those who have compromised its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply worried about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a charity that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the case for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now get about forty-nine pounds a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which provides meals, according to government guidance.

"Realistically speaking, this isn't sufficient to maintain a dignified life," states the expert from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are largely restricted from employment, he feels a significant number are vulnerable to being manipulated and are essentially "forced to work in the illegal economy for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the authorities said: "We do not apologize for refusing to grant refugee applicants the right to work - granting this would establish an incentive for people to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee applications can take a long time to be processed with almost a third taking over one year, according to official data from the late March this year.

Saman says being employed without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to do, but he explained to the team he would never have done that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he encountered employed in unauthorized mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", especially those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"They used their entire savings to come to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're forbidden to work - but additionally [you]