Why Our Team Chose to Go Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish individuals decided to go undercover to expose a operation behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the criminals are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

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

The team discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services the length of Britain, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was involved.

Equipped with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to be employed, looking to purchase and run a small shop from which to distribute unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how simple it is for a person in these situations to establish and run a enterprise on the commercial area in full view. Those participating, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, helping to deceive the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to covertly film one of those at the core of the network, who claimed that he could eliminate government penalties of up to £60k imposed on those hiring unauthorized laborers.

"Personally aimed to participate in exposing these illegal activities [...] to say that they do not represent us," states one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the UK without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a area that covers the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists recognize that conflicts over illegal migration are significant in the UK and state they have both been worried that the probe could worsen hostilities.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized working "damages the entire Kurdish population" and he considers compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, the journalist explains he was anxious the publication could be used by the radical right.

He explains this notably struck him when he noticed that extreme right activist a prominent activist's national unity rally was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating undercover. Signs and flags could be observed at the protest, displaying "we want our nation back".

The reporters have both been monitoring social media reaction to the inquiry from within the Kurdish community and say it has caused intense frustration for certain individuals. One social media comment they found said: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

One more demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also read accusations that they were spies for the British government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman states. "Our objective is to expose those who have damaged its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly troubled about the behavior of such people."

The majority of those seeking asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to live on under twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which offers meals, according to Home Office guidance.

"Honestly stating, this isn't enough to maintain a respectable existence," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely prevented from working, he believes numerous are vulnerable to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to labor in the illegal sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A official for the government department said: "The government make no apology for denying refugee applicants the permission to be employed - granting this would generate an incentive for individuals to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can require a long time to be decided with approximately a one-third requiring more than one year, according to official data from the late March this current year.

The reporter says being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been extremely straightforward to do, but he informed us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered working in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "confused", especially those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals spent all of their money to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these people seemed in dire straits.

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