The Reasons Our Team Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish men agreed to operate secretly to reveal a organization behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the criminals are damaging the standing of Kurds in the UK, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish reporters who have both lived legally in the United Kingdom for many years.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was managing mini-marts, hair salons and car washes throughout the United Kingdom, and sought to find out more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Prepared with secret cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, looking to buy and manage a small shop from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to discover how easy it is for an individual in these conditions to set up and manage a commercial operation on the main street in full view. The individuals participating, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to register the businesses in their identities, enabling to mislead the authorities.

Ali and Saman also were able to secretly document one of those at the centre of the operation, who claimed that he could remove government sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those employing unauthorized workers.

"Personally sought to contribute in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't speak for our community," states Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman entered the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his safety was at threat.

The investigators admit that conflicts over illegal migration are significant in the UK and state they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify conflicts.

But Ali says that the illegal labor "negatively affects the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he considers driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, Ali explains he was anxious the coverage could be exploited by the radical right.

He says this especially affected him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity rally was happening in the capital on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Banners and banners could be observed at the protest, showing "we demand our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media response to the investigation from inside the Kurdish population and explain it has sparked strong frustration for some. One social media message they spotted read: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

Another called for their families in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also seen accusations that they were agents for the British authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter states. "Our aim is to expose those who have compromised its reputation. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and extremely troubled about the activities of such persons."

The majority of those applying for refugee status say they are fleeing political oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he first came to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which offers meals, according to government policies.

"Honestly saying, this isn't enough to sustain a dignified life," states the expert from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from employment, he feels numerous are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are practically "obligated to work in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A spokesperson for the authorities commented: "We are unapologetic for not granting refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - granting this would generate an reason for people to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can take multiple years to be resolved with nearly a third requiring more than 12 months, according to official data from the late March this year.

Saman says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been extremely straightforward to do, but he explained to the team he would not have engaged in that.

Nonetheless, he states that those he met laboring in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "disoriented", particularly those whose refugee application has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals expended all their funds to come to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've lost their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] declare you're forbidden to work - but also [you]