The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish individuals agreed to go undercover to reveal a network behind illegal main street enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they state.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was running mini-marts, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout the UK, and wanted to learn more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Armed with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, seeking to purchase and run a small shop from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to reveal how easy it is for someone in these conditions to set up and operate a commercial operation on the main street in public view. Those participating, we found, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the operations in their names, helping to mislead the officials.

Ali and Saman also were able to covertly document one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could remove official penalties of up to £60k imposed on those employing illegal workers.

"I aimed to participate in exposing these illegal practices [...] to say that they do not speak for our community," states Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the country illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists recognize that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized labor "damages the entire Kurdish community" and he feels compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

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

He explains this particularly impressed him when he realized that radical right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Banners and banners could be spotted at the rally, reading "we want our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing online reaction to the investigation from within the Kurdish population and explain it has generated significant anger for some. One social media post they observed read: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also read allegations that they were agents for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish population," one reporter explains. "Our goal is to uncover those who have harmed its image. We are honored of our Kurdish identity and deeply troubled about the behavior of such people."

Most of those applying for asylum claim they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for years. He says he had to live on under £20 a week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now receive about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes meals, according to official policies.

"Realistically speaking, this isn't adequate to maintain a acceptable existence," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely prevented from working, he believes a significant number are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are essentially "obligated to labor in the illegal sector for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the government department said: "We are unapologetic for refusing to grant asylum seekers the right to work - doing so would establish an motivation for people to travel to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can require a long time to be processed with nearly a third requiring over a year, according to official figures from the spring this current year.

Saman explains being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been very simple to accomplish, but he explained to us he would not have engaged in that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed employed in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "lost", particularly those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"They spent all of their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've lost all they had."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] declare you're prohibited to be employed - but additionally [you]