Why We Went Covert to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish men decided to work covertly to reveal a organization behind unlawful main street establishments because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurds in the UK, they say.

The two, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for a long time.

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked crime network was operating small shops, barbershops and car washes the length of the United Kingdom, and aimed to find out more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Armed with secret cameras, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no right to be employed, seeking to purchase and run a convenience store from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how straightforward it is for a person in these conditions to set up and operate a enterprise on the main street in public view. Those involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, helping to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly record one of those at the core of the network, who asserted that he could remove official sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those hiring illegal workers.

"I aimed to contribute in revealing these unlawful operations [...] to declare that they don't speak for Kurdish people," explains Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his well-being was at risk.

The journalists acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are high in the UK and say they have both been worried that the probe could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized employment "damages the whole Kurdish population" and he feels obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, Ali says he was anxious the reporting could be exploited by the far-right.

He says this notably affected him when he noticed that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity rally was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working secretly. Signs and banners could be observed at the rally, showing "we demand our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing online feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin population and report it has generated intense frustration for certain individuals. One Facebook comment they spotted said: "In what way can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

A different demanded their families in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also seen allegations that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish community," one reporter says. "Our aim is to uncover those who have damaged its reputation. We are honored of our Kurdish heritage and extremely concerned about the behavior of such individuals."

Most of those seeking asylum state they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a charity that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the case for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He explains he had to live on less than twenty pounds a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now get about £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which offers meals, according to Home Office guidance.

"Practically saying, this isn't enough to maintain a respectable life," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prevented from employment, he thinks a significant number are susceptible to being manipulated and are practically "obligated to labor in the black economy for as little as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the Home Office said: "We are unapologetic for denying refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would create an incentive for people to travel to the UK illegally."

Asylum applications can require multiple years to be processed with almost a 33% requiring over one year, according to government figures from the late March this year.

Saman says working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or convenience store would have been very straightforward to do, but he informed the team he would never have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he encountered employed in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", notably those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"They spent all their savings to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application denied and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

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