Stockholm University found guilty of discrimination against Turkish student

Sweden’s Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) has found Stockholm University guilty of ethnic discrimination after rejecting an internship application from a Turkish student, citing Türkiye’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership bid.

According to Swedish state broadcaster SR, the decision followed a review initiated by the DO after the complaint was lodged by the student, Fatma Zehra S., on December 5, 2022.

The DO concluded that the university’s actions constituted ethnic discrimination. In its statement, the agency noted that the rejection was a breach of the country’s anti-discrimination laws.

Fatma Zehra S., a third-year psychology student at Istanbul-based Ibn Haldun University, applied for an internship at Stockholm University as part of the European Union’s Erasmus+ exchange program. On November 23, 2022, she contacted Professor Per Carlbring, expressing interest in joining his research project.

In response, Carlbring rejected the application, stating in an email: “Dear Fatma, I would have liked to host you, but I must decline your application because Türkiye is blocking Sweden’s NATO membership. I am sorry.”

Stockholm University’s apology

Following this, Fatma Zehra S. filed a formal complaint with the DO. While Stockholm University later apologized for Carlbring’s actions, the Discrimination Ombudsman determined the rejection was discriminatory.

The university’s deputy head of the psychology department, Torun Lindholm Ojmyr, issued an apology letter to the student, describing Carlbring’s behavior as “inappropriate and wrong.”

Before the incident, Fatma Zehra S. revealed that her internship application was accepted by another professor in the same department at Stockholm University.