The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

Two Kurdish-background men decided to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal High Street establishments because the criminals are causing harm 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 resided legally in the UK for many years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating mini-marts, barbershops and car washes across the United Kingdom, and aimed to discover more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Prepared with hidden cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to be employed, looking to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

The investigators were successful to discover how straightforward it is for a person in these conditions to start and manage a enterprise on the commercial area in plain sight. Those involved, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to legally establish the businesses in their identities, enabling to fool the officials.

Ali and Saman also managed to secretly film one of those at the core of the network, who claimed that he could erase government sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those hiring illegal workers.

"Personally sought to contribute in exposing these illegal activities [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for us," states Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman entered the country illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that straddles the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his life was at threat.

The reporters acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are significant in the UK and state they have both been concerned that the investigation could inflame conflicts.

But Ali states that the unauthorized employment "damages the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he believes compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Furthermore, Ali explains he was anxious the publication could be exploited by the far-right.

He explains this particularly struck him when he discovered that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity protest was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Banners and banners could be spotted at the rally, showing "we demand our country returned".

The reporters have both been monitoring social media reaction to the exposé from within the Kurdish community and report it has generated intense anger for some. One social media comment they observed read: "How can we identify and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

Another called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also encountered allegations that they were agents for the UK authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish community," one reporter states. "Our objective is to expose those who have harmed its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and extremely worried about the activities of such people."

The majority of those applying for refugee status say they are escaping political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a organization that helps asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for years. He explains he had to live on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to official regulations.

"Realistically saying, this isn't sufficient to support a respectable existence," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally restricted from employment, he thinks many are open to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to labor in the unofficial sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A official for the authorities stated: "We do not apologize for refusing to grant refugee applicants the permission to work - doing so would generate an reason for people to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Refugee applications can require years to be processed with nearly a 33% requiring over one year, according to official figures from the end of March this current year.

Saman states working without authorization in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very straightforward to do, but he informed us he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he encountered laboring in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"They expended all of their funds to migrate to the UK, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali agrees that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"When [they] declare you're prohibited to work - but simultaneously [you]