The Reasons We Went Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals consented to operate secretly to uncover a network behind unlawful High Street establishments because the wrongdoers are negatively affecting the image of Kurdish people in the Britain, they state.

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

Investigators found that a Kurdish crime network was operating small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services the length of the UK, and aimed to find out more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Equipped with hidden recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, attempting to acquire and run a mini-mart from which to distribute contraband cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were successful to reveal how simple it is for a person in these situations to start and operate a business on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals participating, we discovered, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the businesses in their names, helping to fool the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to covertly film one of those at the centre of the network, who claimed that he could eliminate government fines of up to £60,000 encountered those using illegal workers.

"I aimed to contribute in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to declare that they don't characterize Kurdish people," says Saman, a ex- refugee applicant himself. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a area that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his well-being was at threat.

The journalists admit that disagreements over illegal migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and state they have both been concerned that the probe could inflame tensions.

But the other reporter states that the illegal working "harms the whole Kurdish-origin population" and he feels driven to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, Ali explains he was worried the reporting could be exploited by the radical right.

He says this especially impressed him when he realized that far-right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom protest was occurring in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Banners and flags could be seen at the rally, reading "we want our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring online reaction to the exposé from within the Kurdish community and explain it has caused intense frustration for some. One Facebook post they spotted said: "In what way can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

Another called for their families in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen claims that they were informants for the UK government, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish community," Saman explains. "Our aim is to expose those who have damaged its reputation. Both journalists are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly troubled about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those seeking asylum state they are escaping political discrimination, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that assists asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he first arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He says he had to live on under twenty pounds a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now are provided about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to official policies.

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

Because asylum seekers are mostly restricted from employment, he believes many are open to being manipulated and are practically "compelled to work in the black sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A official for the Home Office said: "We are unapologetic for refusing to grant refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - granting this would generate an motivation for individuals to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can require multiple years to be decided with almost a one-third taking over one year, according to official figures from the late March this year.

Saman states being employed without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to achieve, but he explained to us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he encountered employed in unauthorized mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", notably those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeals process.

"They used all of their funds to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali agrees that these people seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're forbidden to work - but additionally [you]