The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish-background individuals decided to operate secretly to expose a operation behind unlawful main street businesses because the criminals are causing harm the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both lived legally in the UK for a long time.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was operating convenience stores, hair salons and car washes throughout Britain, and aimed to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Armed with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no permission to work, looking to acquire and manage a mini-mart from which to trade contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to uncover how easy it is for someone in these situations to establish and operate a commercial operation on the commercial area in public view. The individuals participating, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the operations in their identities, enabling to fool the government agencies.

Ali and Saman also were able to discreetly film one of those at the core of the organization, who asserted that he could eliminate government penalties of up to £60k faced those hiring illegal employees.

"Personally sought to play a role in revealing these illegal operations [...] to say that they do not characterize us," says one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not internationally recognised as a nation - because his life was at danger.

The reporters admit that conflicts over unauthorized immigration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized employment "harms the entire Kurdish population" and he feels compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, Ali says he was worried the publication could be used by the far-right.

He explains this especially impressed him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity protest was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Banners and flags could be observed at the protest, showing "we want our nation returned".

Saman and Ali have both been observing social media feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin population and explain it has sparked significant outrage for some. One social media comment they observed said: "In what way can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

A different urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also encountered allegations that they were agents for the UK authorities, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter explains. "Our aim is to expose those who have harmed its standing. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish heritage and deeply worried about the actions of such persons."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are escaping political discrimination, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that assists refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, struggled for years. He says he had to survive on under twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes food, according to Home Office policies.

"Honestly stating, this is not sufficient to sustain a acceptable lifestyle," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from working, he believes a significant number are open to being exploited and are effectively "compelled to work in the black sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A official for the government department stated: "We do not apologize for not granting refugee applicants the right to be employed - granting this would create an motivation for individuals to migrate to the UK illegally."

Refugee cases can take multiple years to be processed with nearly a 33% requiring over 12 months, according to official data from the late March this current year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to achieve, but he explained to us he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed working in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals spent all of their savings to come to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've lost their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're prohibited to be employed - but also [you]