Dima is a high school student in Helsinki. In November, his class planned a field trip to the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant.
But, Dima, who's a citizen of both Finland and Russia, learned that he wouldn't be able to visit the facility because he was born in Russia.
The teen received the news in a message on the school communications platform Wilma, according to his mother, Anastasia.
"Hi, I received information from Olkiluoto that due to corporate security and the current world situation, you will not be able to participate in the visit to Olkiluoto, because you were born in Russia. This is a strict security policy that unfortunately cannot be influenced," the Wilma message read.
Mother's questions
"What happened to us is downright absurd," Anastasia told Yle Novosti, the public broadcaster's Russian-language news unit.
"Does the nuclear power plant's management really think that a child could be a spy? What is the purpose of the ban? In what way is my son responsible for the 'world situation'? This is a completely racist, absurd and illegal justification for not allowing a pupil to go on a field trip," the mother continued.
The names of the teen and his mother were changed to protect their privacy. Yle has viewed correspondence between the family and the school, and has also confirmed that Dima holds both Finnish and Russian citizenship.
Dima attends the Kulosaari Secondary School, a private, publicly funded institution in Helsinki.
The school's principal, Minnariitta Raitio, told Yle Novosti that everyone who was going on the nuclear plant field trip had to fill out a security form in advance.
She said that the form asked for personal information of the visitors.
"After this, Olkiluoto notified us about who would be able to visit," Raitio explained.
No Russians or Belarusians
The nuclear facility's communications manager, Johanna Aho, commented on the matter by email.
Her email stated that the company has decided not to permit Russian or Belarusian citizens to visit the nuclear plant, adding that the decision was based on corporate security risk assessments.
"Of course, [such guests] could go to the visitor centre, but visits to the facilities are not possible," Aho's email read.
Yle Novosti contacted Supo, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, to ask whether nuclear power facilities are able to restrict visitors based on their citizenship.
Supo: Decision up to operators
Supo communications specialist, Irene Zidan, said that the agency does not publicly comment on individual cases. However, she noted that the agency has not issued guidelines about tightening security measures at strategic sites.
According to Zidan, operators of critical infrastructure are responsible for their own security arrangements, and therefore are responsible for policies regarding visitors.
Zidan said that there are no laws or other guidelines that restrict dual citizens from visiting critical infrastructure sites.
"Supo is in constant dialogue with various sectors, but according to our official duties, we do not issue regulations regarding security arrangements," she said.
Ombudsman reacts
A special expert at the Office of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, Matti Jutila, also said the office could not comment on individual cases. However, Jutila pointed to legislation that says policies on treating people differently must be law-based.
In an email, Jutila wrote that the Equality Act says that the different treatment of people must have an "acceptable goal", and the means to achieve such goals must be proportionate.
"If this isn't the case, the different treatment could constitute discrimination," he said.
However, in certain cases, Jutila's email stated that different treatment does not necessarily require legislation to guide such treatment, "but even then, it must have an acceptable goal, from a human rights point of view".
Jutila suggested that the student or his parent in this case can contact the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman's office about the incident.
"So that we can assess in more detail whether intervention by the ombudsman is required in the matter," Jutila's email read.
5.46 pm: Removed erroneous reference to boy's age.
