Why We Went Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish individuals consented to operate secretly to reveal a organization behind illegal commercial enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurdish people in the Britain, they say.

The two, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish investigators who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for a long time.

The team found that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running convenience stores, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and wanted to learn more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Armed with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no right to work, seeking to acquire and operate a small shop from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to reveal how easy it is for an individual in these conditions to establish and manage a business on the main street in plain sight. Those participating, we discovered, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to legally establish the enterprises in their names, helping to mislead the authorities.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly document one of those at the heart of the operation, who stated that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those employing unauthorized laborers.

"Personally wanted to play a role in exposing these illegal activities [...] to say that they do not characterize us," explains one reporter, a former asylum seeker himself. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his well-being was at threat.

The investigators recognize that conflicts over unauthorized migration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been concerned that the probe could worsen tensions.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized working "harms the whole Kurdish community" and he considers obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, Ali explains he was worried the reporting could be used by the extreme right.

He explains this particularly struck him when he noticed that far-right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom protest was happening in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working covertly. Placards and banners could be seen at the gathering, showing "we demand our country back".

The reporters have both been observing online feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin community and report it has generated strong anger for certain individuals. One Facebook message they spotted stated: "In what way can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

A different demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also read allegations that they were spies for the British authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter states. "Our aim is to expose those who have damaged its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish identity and profoundly concerned about the activities of such persons."

Most of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing political oppression, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a organization that supports asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for years. He says he had to live on under twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes meals, according to government regulations.

"Realistically saying, this isn't adequate to sustain a acceptable life," states the expert from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prohibited from working, he feels a significant number are vulnerable to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the unofficial economy for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the authorities said: "We do not apologize for denying refugee applicants the right to work - granting this would establish an reason for individuals to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can require multiple years to be resolved with approximately a third requiring over one year, according to official figures from the late March this year.

The reporter explains working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been quite simple to achieve, but he told the team he would never have done that.

However, he states that those he interviewed employed in unauthorized mini-marts during his work seemed "confused", particularly those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals used all of their money to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these people seemed hopeless.

"If [they] say you're forbidden to work - but also [you]