Why Our Team Went Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish individuals agreed to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal High Street establishments because the criminals are negatively affecting the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they state.

The two, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both lived legally in the UK for a long time.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was operating convenience stores, barbershops and car washes across Britain, and wanted to learn more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Armed with secret cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, looking to purchase and manage a small shop from which to trade illegal cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to discover how straightforward it is for a person in these situations to start and operate a business on the main street in public view. Those involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the operations in their identities, helping to mislead the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to covertly document one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could remove official sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those hiring unauthorized workers.

"I wanted to contribute in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to say that they don't represent Kurdish people," states Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a area that straddles the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his safety was at threat.

The reporters acknowledge that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are elevated in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the inquiry could inflame tensions.

But Ali explains that the illegal working "negatively affects the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he considers compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, Ali says he was anxious the reporting could be used by the extreme right.

He states this especially affected him when he discovered that radical right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was happening in London on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the gathering, displaying "we demand our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing online feedback to the exposé from inside the Kurdish community and explain it has sparked strong outrage for some. One Facebook comment they spotted read: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

A different demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also seen claims that they were informants for the British authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman says. "Our objective is to expose those who have compromised its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply troubled about the actions of such persons."

The majority of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now receive approximately forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to government policies.

"Honestly saying, this is not enough to support a respectable life," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are generally restricted from employment, he thinks a significant number are susceptible to being exploited and are practically "compelled to work in the unofficial economy for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities said: "The government make no apology for not granting refugee applicants the permission to be employed - doing so would generate an incentive for individuals to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can take a long time to be decided with approximately a one-third taking more than 12 months, according to government statistics from the spring this year.

Saman explains being employed without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been very straightforward to do, but he explained to the team he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he encountered working in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "lost", especially those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"They spent all of their savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed hopeless.

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