Last fall, a Turkish student at a university in Istanbul contacted a professor at Stockholm University with a request to come up with a research internship over the summer. On November 23, she received an email from the professor:
“We would love to receive you. However, since Turkey does not allow Sweden to join NATO, I have to decline. Sorry!”
The woman then turned to the university with a formal report of discrimination.
“Unprofessional and unacceptable”
A head of department at the department in question regrets the response to the woman. The prefect declines an interview but replies via email that they apologized to the woman.
– We receive many requests from students who are interested in coming to us as research trainees. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate everyone, but we expect everyone who applies to be treated in a professional manner.
– In this case, an employee expressed himself in an unprofessional and unacceptable way and as soon as we became aware of this, we took measures and have handled it according to internal procedures, writes the head of department.
The university has also offered to help the woman find another internship.
Declines to participate
In the email response sent to the woman, the university calls the action unprofessional and says that it does not tolerate any form of discrimination.
Stockholm University’s press service says that those responsible for discrimination issues at the university were involved in the case.
SVT has been in contact with the professor, who declines to participate.
SVT has also been in contact with the Turkish woman, but she also did not agree to an interview.