The Reasons Our Team Went Undercover to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish individuals decided to operate secretly to reveal a organization behind unlawful main street businesses because the wrongdoers are damaging the reputation of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish investigators who have both lived legally in the UK for many years.

The team found that a Kurdish criminal operation was managing mini-marts, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services across the United Kingdom, and sought to learn more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Armed with covert recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, attempting to buy and run a convenience store from which to distribute unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to discover how straightforward it is for someone in these situations to set up and operate a business on the High Street in plain sight. Those involved, we found, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the operations in their names, helping to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to covertly document one of those at the core of the network, who claimed that he could remove official sanctions of up to £60,000 faced those employing unauthorized workers.

"I wanted to participate in uncovering these illegal activities [...] to say that they don't speak for Kurdish people," explains one reporter, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his well-being was at risk.

The reporters recognize that conflicts over unauthorized migration are elevated in the UK and state they have both been worried that the probe could worsen conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the illegal employment "harms the entire Kurdish community" and he feels driven to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, Ali explains he was concerned the publication could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this notably struck him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity march was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was operating undercover. Signs and flags could be spotted at the rally, displaying "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring online response to the investigation from within the Kurdish-origin community and report it has caused significant frustration for certain individuals. One social media comment they spotted stated: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another urged their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also seen allegations that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter explains. "Our goal is to reveal those who have compromised its image. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply troubled about the behavior of such individuals."

Most of those seeking refugee status state they are escaping political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a organization that supports asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He explains he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was processed.

Asylum seekers now get approximately £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which offers food, according to Home Office policies.

"Honestly stating, this isn't sufficient to support a dignified life," explains the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely prohibited from working, he feels numerous are susceptible to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the illegal sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A representative for the Home Office commented: "The government are unapologetic for denying refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would generate an motivation for people to travel to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can take years to be processed with approximately a one-third taking over 12 months, according to official figures from the spring this current year.

Saman explains being employed illegally in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been very easy to accomplish, but he told the team he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered laboring in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"They spent their entire funds to come to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've lost their entire investment."

Ali concurs that these people seemed desperate.

"If [they] declare you're forbidden to be employed - but simultaneously [you]