The Reasons We Went Undercover to Expose Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish men decided to go undercover to uncover a organization behind illegal commercial establishments because the lawbreakers are damaging the standing of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they say.

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

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

Armed with secret recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to work, seeking to purchase and operate a convenience store from which to sell contraband tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to uncover how simple it is for someone in these situations to set up and operate a enterprise on the main street in public view. Those involved, we learned, pay Kurds who have UK residency to register the enterprises in their names, assisting to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly record one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could eliminate government sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those employing illegal workers.

"Personally wanted to contribute in revealing these illegal practices [...] to say that they do not represent Kurdish people," explains one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant himself. Saman came to the country illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The investigators recognize that tensions over unauthorized migration are high in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But Ali explains that the illegal employment "harms the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he feels obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into the open".

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

He states this particularly affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity march was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Banners and flags could be observed at the rally, reading "we demand our nation back".

Both journalists have both been monitoring social media reaction to the inquiry from within the Kurdish community and explain it has sparked significant anger for some. One social media post they spotted read: "How can we find and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

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

They have also read accusations that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our objective is to reveal those who have damaged its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and extremely troubled about the activities of such individuals."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are fleeing political discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he first arrived to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He says he had to survive on under £20 a week while his refugee application was processed.

Refugee applicants now are provided about forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes meals, according to Home Office guidance.

"Realistically speaking, this isn't enough to support a acceptable lifestyle," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are mostly restricted from working, he feels many are open to being taken advantage of and are effectively "compelled to work in the unofficial market for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the government department commented: "The government do not apologize for denying refugee applicants the right to work - granting this would generate an motivation for people to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee applications can take years to be processed with nearly a one-third taking more than one year, according to government figures from the end of March this current year.

Saman says working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely easy to accomplish, but he informed us he would not have engaged in that.

However, he explains that those he met employed in illegal convenience stores during his work seemed "lost", particularly those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"They used all their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've forfeited everything."

Ali concurs that these individuals seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're prohibited to work - but also [you]