Why We Chose to Go Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish individuals agreed to work covertly to expose a network behind unlawful commercial establishments because the criminals are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both resided lawfully in the UK for many years.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was running small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout the UK, and sought to find out more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Armed with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish refugee applicants with no permission to work, attempting to purchase and operate a small shop from which to trade unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to reveal how simple it is for a person in these circumstances to set up and manage a business on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their names, assisting to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also were able to secretly record one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could remove government fines of up to £60,000 imposed on those using illegal laborers.

"I sought to participate in exposing these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't characterize us," explains Saman, a ex- asylum seeker himself. The reporter entered the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists acknowledge that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are significant in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the inquiry could intensify hostilities.

But Ali explains that the illegal labor "negatively affects the entire Kurdish community" and he believes driven to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist explains he was worried the reporting could be exploited by the far-right.

He states this especially affected him when he noticed that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity protest was happening in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Placards and flags could be seen at the protest, displaying "we demand our country back".

The reporters have both been tracking social media feedback to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has sparked intense outrage for some. One Facebook post they spotted said: "In what way can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

A different urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also seen accusations that they were spies for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish population," Saman says. "Our objective is to reveal those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and deeply concerned about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those seeking asylum state they are escaping political discrimination, 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 arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He explains he had to survive on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was processed.

Refugee applicants now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which provides food, according to government regulations.

"Honestly speaking, this is not enough to sustain a dignified existence," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are generally restricted from working, he feels a significant number are vulnerable to being manipulated and are effectively "compelled to work in the illegal market for as little as £3 per hour".

A official for the government department said: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the right to be employed - granting this would establish an motivation for people to travel to the UK without authorization."

Asylum cases can require a long time to be decided with nearly a one-third requiring more than 12 months, according to government data from the late March this current year.

Saman says working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to achieve, but he explained to us he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he encountered working in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals spent all their money to come to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed everything."

Ali concurs that these people seemed hopeless.

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