Stockholm University has been discovered responsible of discrimination after it rejected the internship software of a Turkish pupil, Fatma Zehra Solmaz, citing Türkiye’s objections to Sweden’s NATO membership, in accordance with the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (DO).
The rejection in 2022 drew vital consideration and led to an official apology from the college.
Solmaz, a third-year psychology pupil at the moment at Istanbul’s Ibn Haldun University, utilized for a summer season internship at Stockholm University as a part of the Erasmus+ program.
On Nov. 23, 2022, she reached out to Professor Per Carlbring, who leads a scientific psychology analysis group on the college, expressing curiosity in taking part in a analysis venture he was overseeing.
However, in an electronic mail response despatched simply hours later, Carlbring knowledgeable Solmaz: “I would love to host you. However, since Turkey does not allow Sweden to join NATO, I have to decline. Sorry!”
The rejection, citing Türkiye’s opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership, left Solmaz surprised. In an interview with TRT World, she expressed her shock, saying: “After getting this answer, I was simply shocked. It took me a long time to process it.”
Following this, Solmaz filed a proper discrimination criticism with the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (DO) on Dec. 5, 2022, alleging ethnic discrimination.
– UNIVERSITY’S RESPONSE
About the incident, Solmaz instructed Anadolu: “The head of the department apologized to me and said he had spoken to the person (Carlbring). However, I asked what concrete steps would be taken. They didn’t answer. ‘We’re taking action, necessary actions have started,” they stated later.
“When I asked the university to provide me with evidence, document it, and (said I) expect a formal apology from the person, I didn’t get a response. Still (there’s been) no apology.”
Stockholm University’s deputy head of the Psychology Department, Torun Lindholm Ojmyr, later issued an apology on Dec. 6, 2023, acknowledging the professor’s actions as “inappropriate and unprofessional.”
The college additionally said that it had taken inside measures to handle the incident, expressing remorse and admitting that the educational had dealt with the scenario poorly.
Fredrik Jonsson, head of the Psychology Department, remarked: “As soon as we learned about this issue, we acted and handled it according to our routines.”
– OMBUDSMAN’S INVESTIGATION, FINDINGS
On Dec. 17, 2024, the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (DO) issued its formal resolution in Case Number: DO 2023/3216.
The investigation concluded that Stockholm University had certainly violated the prohibition towards discrimination, particularly discrimination primarily based on ethnic affiliation.
The DO decided that the response from Professor Per Carlbring triggered Solmaz discomfort, a type of drawback below Swedish legislation.
The response linked the rejection to political tensions, thereby violating ideas of equal remedy, the ombudsman burdened, including: “Professor B’s response resulted in A being treated worse than a hypothetical person with a different national affiliation, which constitutes direct discrimination.”
The DO additionally rejected Stockholm University’s claims that the response was merely a “careless remark.”
The college argued that Carlbring lacked the capability to simply accept interns on the time, however the DO discovered no proof of an goal evaluation of Solmaz’s software.
The DO concluded that Stockholm University, by way of the actions of Professor Carlbring, subjected Solmaz to direct discrimination primarily based on her presumed ethnic affiliation.
Since Professor Carlbring acted on behalf of the college, Stockholm University itself was held liable for the discriminatory response.
– LEGAL CONTEXT
Under the Discrimination Act, employers in Sweden are prohibited from disadvantaging people primarily based on ethnic affiliation, together with presumed nationwide origin.
The DO resolution just isn’t legally binding however supplies grounds for Solmaz to pursue compensation by way of a district court docket.
– ‘DEEPLY UPSETTING’
Speaking to Anadolu, Solmaz stated she utilized to a number of professors concurrently on the identical day, and certainly one of them accepted.
“I had received my acceptance before I had even filed the complaint,” Solmaz stated, describing the incident as deeply upsetting, although she added that she stays dedicated to her educational aspirations.
The college assertion, alternatively, stated: “The university has also urgently apologized to the person and has already in December last year offered help in trying to find another internship at our university.”
“You do not accept such an answer from a professor. It was shocking,” she stated in an unique interview with Anadolu shortly after the DO’s resolution on the incident. “And it was actually very saddening for me.”
“But after receiving such an answer, I thought that, well, these people that have the highest education level, they can still discriminate against me solely because of my political background. Which is unrelated to me. But it’s not your political background.”
– TÜRKİYE’S CONDEMNATION
The case has drawn worldwide consideration, particularly from Türkiye, the place the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye (TIHEK) condemned the incident as a violation of fundamental human rights.
“In a democratic society founded on pluralism, tolerance, and respect, it is unacceptable to treat someone differently based on their ethnic origin,” TIHEK said.
Sweden’s NATO membership bid, which Türkiye delayed as a result of considerations over Sweden’s stance on terrorism, kinds the backdrop of this discrimination case.
Türkiye, a NATO member for over 70 years, conditioned its approval on Sweden addressing points associated to the terrorist teams PKK and FETO.
The Swedish authorities’s perceived leniency towards these teams, significantly the PKK, was a key think about Türkiye’s opposition to Sweden’s accession.
But, after a collection of negotiations and resolutions of objections from different NATO members, Sweden agreed to implement measures to handle Türkiye’s safety considerations, resulting in the eventual approval of its membership.
On March 7, 2024, Sweden’s accession to NATO was finalized, and it formally grew to become the alliance’s thirty first member.
Source: www.anews.com.tr