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ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE - JAN. 6, 2025: Stockholm University has been found guilty of discrimination after it rejected the internship application of a Turkish student, Fatma Zehra Solmaz, citing Türkiye's objections to Sweden's NATO membership, according to the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (DO). The rejection in 2022 drew significant attention and led to an official apology from the university. Solmaz, a third-year psychology student at that time at Istanbul’s Ibn Haldun University, applied for a summer internship at Stockholm University as part of the Erasmus+ program. On Nov. 23, 2022, she reached out to Professor Per Carlbring, who leads a clinical psychology research group at the university, expressing interest in participating in a research project he was overseeing. However, in an email response sent just hours later, Carlbring informed 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 stunned. 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 formal discrimination complaint with the Swedish Equality Ombudsman (DO) on Dec. 5, 2022, alleging ethnic discrimination. - University’s response About the incident, Solmaz told 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 said 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." (Footage by Hikmet Orcun Uresinler/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)