Why We Chose to Go Covert to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background men consented to operate secretly to expose a organization behind illegal commercial businesses because the wrongdoers are damaging the standing of Kurdish people in the Britain, they state.

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

Investigators found that a Kurdish crime network was operating small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across the UK, and sought to discover more about how it operated and who was participating.

Prepared with secret cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to work, attempting to buy and operate a mini-mart from which to distribute illegal cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how simple it is for a person in these conditions to start and operate a commercial operation on the High Street in plain sight. Those participating, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their names, helping to fool the authorities.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to secretly document one of those at the core of the organization, who stated that he could erase government sanctions of up to £60k faced those using unauthorized laborers.

"Personally aimed to contribute in exposing these unlawful practices [...] to say that they don't characterize us," explains one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker himself. The reporter came to the UK without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his well-being was at threat.

The journalists admit that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are high in the United Kingdom and say they have both been worried that the probe could worsen tensions.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized working "harms the whole Kurdish population" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, Ali mentions he was worried the publication could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He says this especially affected him when he discovered that radical right activist a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom rally was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Signs and banners could be seen at the rally, showing "we want our country returned".

The reporters have both been tracking online feedback to the exposé from inside the Kurdish-origin population and report it has generated intense frustration for some. One Facebook message they observed read: "In what way can we identify and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another urged their families in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were agents for the British government, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish population," Saman says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have compromised its image. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and extremely worried about the actions of such people."

The majority of those seeking refugee status state they are fleeing politically motivated persecution, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a non-profit that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to live on less than £20 a per week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now get about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes food, according to Home Office guidance.

"Realistically saying, this isn't adequate to support a respectable existence," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prohibited from working, he believes a significant number are open to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to labor in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hour".

A official for the authorities said: "We are unapologetic for refusing to grant asylum seekers the right to work - granting this would create an reason for people to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can take years to be resolved with nearly a 33% taking more than one year, according to government statistics from the end of March this current year.

The reporter states being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been very easy to accomplish, but he told us he would not have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he says that those he encountered employed in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", notably those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeal stage.

"They used their entire savings to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali agrees that these individuals seemed hopeless.

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