The Reasons We Went Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals agreed to go undercover to reveal a operation behind illegal High Street enterprises because the wrongdoers are damaging the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish investigators who have both resided legally in the UK for years.

The team found that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was managing mini-marts, barbershops and car washes the length of the UK, and wanted to find out more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Equipped with secret cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to be employed, seeking to purchase and run a convenience store from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

They were successful to uncover how simple it is for someone in these situations to start and run a commercial operation on the commercial area in full view. The individuals participating, we found, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to legally establish the enterprises in their identities, assisting to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to secretly record one of those at the heart of the operation, who asserted that he could erase government fines of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those hiring unauthorized employees.

"I wanted to contribute in uncovering these unlawful operations [...] to say that they don't speak for us," says Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his safety was at danger.

The reporters recognize that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are high in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the probe could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized employment "negatively affects the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, the journalist explains he was anxious the coverage could be seized upon by the radical right.

He explains this particularly struck him when he realized that extreme right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity protest was taking place in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating covertly. Placards and banners could be seen at the protest, showing "we want our nation returned".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring online response to the investigation from within the Kurdish population and explain it has generated significant anger for certain individuals. One social media post they found said: "In what way can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

Another called for their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish community," Saman says. "Our aim is to uncover those who have compromised its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply worried about the behavior of such persons."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are escaping politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that assists asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to live on under twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now get approximately £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which includes meals, according to official regulations.

"Realistically speaking, this is not enough to sustain a dignified existence," says Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prevented from employment, he believes many are open to being taken advantage of and are effectively "forced to work in the illegal market for as low as three pounds per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the authorities stated: "We do not apologize for not granting asylum seekers the right to be employed - granting this would establish an motivation for people to migrate to the UK illegally."

Refugee cases can take years to be resolved with nearly a one-third requiring more than a year, according to official data from the spring this current year.

The reporter says working without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to achieve, but he explained to the team he would not have engaged in that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed employed in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "disoriented", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent all of their money to come to the UK, they had their asylum denied and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"When [they] state you're forbidden to work - but also [you]