Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals decided to go undercover to expose a operation behind unlawful main street establishments because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the image of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was running mini-marts, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout the United Kingdom, and wanted to learn more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Armed with hidden cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to work, looking to buy and operate a mini-mart from which to trade contraband tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to discover how easy it is for an individual in these conditions to set up and manage a commercial operation on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals involved, we found, pay Kurds who have UK residency to register the businesses in their names, helping to mislead the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly film one of those at the centre of the operation, who claimed that he could erase government penalties of up to £60,000 imposed on those hiring unauthorized employees.

"I aimed to participate in exposing these illegal operations [...] to say that they do not represent Kurdish people," explains Saman, a former refugee applicant personally. Saman came to the country without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that covers the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The reporters acknowledge that tensions over illegal migration are high in the United Kingdom and say they have both been concerned that the probe could inflame hostilities.

But Ali explains that the unauthorized working "harms the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he considers driven to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Separately, Ali mentions he was concerned the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He explains this particularly impressed him when he discovered that far-right activist Tommy Robinson's national unity rally was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Banners and banners could be seen at the rally, reading "we demand our nation back".

Both journalists have both been tracking online response to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish community and say it has caused strong frustration for certain individuals. One Facebook comment they spotted said: "In what way can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

A different urged their families in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also read claims that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "We are not spies, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish community," Saman states. "Our objective is to expose those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly worried about the actions of such persons."

Most of those seeking asylum state they are escaping political oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that helps refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to survive on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was processed.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which includes food, according to Home Office guidance.

"Realistically stating, this is not enough to support a dignified life," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly restricted from working, he believes a significant number are susceptible to being manipulated and are effectively "compelled to labor in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hour".

A official for the Home Office commented: "The government make no apology for denying asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would create an incentive for people to travel to the UK without authorization."

Asylum applications can require years to be resolved with nearly a one-third taking more than one year, according to official statistics from the late March this year.

The reporter says being employed illegally in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely straightforward to achieve, but he explained to the team he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he interviewed working in unauthorized convenience stores during his research seemed "disoriented", particularly those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals used their entire savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

"When [they] declare you're not allowed to work - but simultaneously [you]