The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish men agreed to operate secretly to expose a organization behind illegal commercial enterprises because the wrongdoers are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the Britain, they explain.

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

Investigators found that a Kurdish crime network was running small shops, barbershops and car washes across the United Kingdom, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Equipped with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, attempting to purchase and operate a mini-mart from which to sell contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to uncover how straightforward it is for someone in these conditions to establish and manage a business on the main street in full view. The individuals involved, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, assisting to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to discreetly document one of those at the centre of the operation, who claimed that he could remove government fines of up to £60,000 faced those using unauthorized laborers.

"Personally sought to play a role in exposing these illegal activities [...] to declare that they do not represent us," states Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having fled the Kurdish region - a territory that covers the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his life was at risk.

The reporters recognize that conflicts over illegal migration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been anxious that the inquiry could worsen conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the illegal working "negatively affects the whole Kurdish population" and he feels obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, Ali mentions he was worried the coverage could be seized upon by the far-right.

He explains this notably impressed him when he noticed that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working covertly. Placards and flags could be observed at the gathering, displaying "we want our nation back".

The reporters have both been monitoring social media feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish community and explain it has sparked strong anger for certain individuals. One social media message they spotted stated: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

A different demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also encountered allegations that they were informants for the British government, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish community," one reporter explains. "Our goal is to uncover those who have harmed its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and deeply concerned about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those seeking refugee status state they are fleeing politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that helps refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to live on less than £20 a per week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now get about £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which offers food, according to official regulations.

"Practically saying, this is not adequate to maintain a dignified lifestyle," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are mostly prohibited from working, he thinks many are vulnerable to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to work in the black sector for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the authorities commented: "We do not apologize for not granting refugee applicants the permission to work - doing so would establish an reason for people to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can require multiple years to be decided with nearly a 33% requiring over 12 months, according to government data from the end of March this current year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely simple to accomplish, but he explained to us he would not have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he says that those he encountered laboring in unauthorized convenience stores during his research seemed "lost", particularly those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used their entire savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum rejected and now they've lost all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're forbidden to be employed - but additionally [you]