The Reasons We Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Population

A pair of Kurdish men decided to operate secretly to reveal a network behind unlawful main street enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish investigators who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for a long time.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was running mini-marts, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout the UK, and wanted to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Armed with secret cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no right to be employed, seeking to purchase and operate a convenience store from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to uncover how straightforward it is for someone in these circumstances to set up and run a commercial operation on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we learned, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the businesses in their identities, assisting to fool the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly film one of those at the core of the operation, who stated that he could erase official sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those hiring illegal laborers.

"I aimed to contribute in revealing these illegal activities [...] to say that they don't represent our community," says Saman, a ex- refugee applicant himself. The reporter entered the United Kingdom without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a area that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a country - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists acknowledge that disagreements over illegal migration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the investigation could intensify hostilities.

But Ali explains that the illegal employment "harms the whole Kurdish population" and he considers driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist says he was anxious the coverage could be exploited by the far-right.

He says this particularly impressed him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity march was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating undercover. Banners and flags could be seen at the rally, reading "we demand our country returned".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media response to the exposé from inside the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has caused strong anger for some. One Facebook comment they observed stated: "In what way can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

One more urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also read allegations that they were spies for the British government, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish population," one reporter explains. "Our objective is to expose those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly troubled about the actions of such people."

Most of those applying for refugee status state they are fleeing political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a charity that helps refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now get approximately £49 a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which offers meals, according to official policies.

"Honestly speaking, this isn't sufficient to maintain a dignified existence," says the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly restricted from employment, he feels a significant number are open to being manipulated and are practically "forced to labor in the unofficial market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the authorities commented: "The government do not apologize for refusing to grant refugee applicants the permission to work - granting this would generate an reason for individuals to travel to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can require multiple years to be processed with approximately a one-third requiring more than a year, according to official figures from the end of March this current year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely easy to accomplish, but he explained to us he would not have done that.

However, he states that those he met employed in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "disoriented", particularly those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all their money to come to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've sacrificed everything."

Ali agrees that these people seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] say you're not allowed to be employed - but simultaneously [you]