Why We Chose to Go Covert to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background men agreed to work covertly to reveal a operation behind unlawful main street establishments because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they say.

The two, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin reporters who have both lived lawfully in the UK for many years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was operating mini-marts, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services across the United Kingdom, and wanted to find out more about how it functioned and who was participating.

Equipped with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to work, seeking to acquire and run a mini-mart from which to sell illegal tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to discover how straightforward it is for someone in these situations to establish and operate a enterprise on the main street in public view. Those participating, we learned, pay Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to register the enterprises in their names, assisting to deceive the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also were able to secretly document one of those at the centre of the operation, who claimed that he could eliminate official penalties of up to £60k encountered those employing illegal employees.

"Personally sought to contribute in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to say that they do not represent our community," says one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman entered the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his well-being was at threat.

The journalists admit that disagreements over illegal immigration are high in the United Kingdom and state they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify tensions.

But Ali states that the illegal employment "harms the whole Kurdish community" and he considers compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, the journalist mentions he was worried the publication could be exploited by the extreme right.

He says this notably struck him when he noticed that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity protest was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Banners and flags could be seen at the gathering, showing "we want our nation returned".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring online reaction to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish-origin population and report it has sparked intense anger for certain individuals. One social media message they observed stated: "How can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

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

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter says. "Our goal is to reveal those who have damaged its reputation. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly troubled about the behavior of such people."

The majority of those applying for refugee status claim they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our covert journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to survive on under £20 a week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which provides meals, according to government regulations.

"Honestly saying, this is not enough to sustain a dignified existence," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from employment, he feels a significant number are susceptible to being manipulated and are practically "forced to labor in the unofficial sector for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the government department stated: "The government make no apology for denying asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would generate an incentive for people to travel to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum cases can take a long time to be processed with approximately a one-third taking over 12 months, according to official data from the end of March this year.

The reporter says being employed illegally in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to achieve, but he informed the team he would never have engaged in that.

However, he says that those he interviewed working in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent all of their money to come to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

The other reporter acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

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