The Reasons Our Team Went Covert to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish men decided to work covertly to expose a organization behind illegal commercial establishments because the lawbreakers are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they explain.

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

The team found that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was managing convenience stores, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across the United Kingdom, and wanted to find out more about how it worked and who was participating.

Prepared with hidden cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, seeking to buy and manage a convenience store from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to discover how straightforward it is for someone in these situations to start and run a enterprise on the commercial area in full view. The individuals involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their identities, helping to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to discreetly document one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could eliminate official penalties of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those employing unauthorized employees.

"Personally aimed to contribute in uncovering these unlawful activities [...] to say that they don't represent our community," states Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the country without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his well-being was at risk.

The investigators admit that conflicts over unauthorized migration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been worried that the probe could inflame hostilities.

But Ali says that the illegal employment "harms the entire Kurdish community" and he considers obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist says he was concerned the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He explains this particularly struck him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity rally was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Banners and flags could be observed at the gathering, displaying "we want our country back".

The reporters have both been monitoring online feedback to the investigation from inside the Kurdish population and explain it has generated strong frustration for certain individuals. One Facebook comment they observed said: "In what way can we find and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

One more urged their families in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also encountered accusations that they were informants for the British government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish-origin community," Saman says. "Our objective is to uncover those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and extremely concerned about the actions of such people."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, struggled for many years. He states he had to survive on under twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now get approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which provides meals, according to government policies.

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

Because refugee applicants are largely prevented from working, he believes many are open to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the unofficial economy for as low as three pounds per hourly rate".

A official for the government department stated: "The government do not apologize for not granting asylum seekers the permission to be employed - granting this would create an motivation for people to come to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can take multiple years to be decided with almost a one-third requiring more than a year, according to government figures from the end of March this year.

Saman explains being employed without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to achieve, but he informed the team he would not have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered working in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "lost", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent all their funds to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've forfeited everything."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed in dire straits.

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