According to Flemish broadcasting company VRT, the former members of student association Reuzegom have been suspended for one or more years. The seven students involved had previously only been given community service and a writing assignment, but this decision was widely criticised. As a result, KU Leuven reviewed the disciplinary file and started a new investigation in September. VRT reports that this has now resulted in more severe penalties.

KU Leuven has refused to provide any details about the new punishments, emphasising in a statement that “the current disciplinary proceedings” have not yet been finalised. The seven students have submitted an appeal to the university.

A student from Vrije Universiteit Brussel who was also involved in the hazing ritual with a fatal outcome has been banned from campus for the foreseeable future, writes newspaper De Morgen (article in Dutch).

20-year-old Dia died from cardiac arrest in December of 2018. His hazing activities included spending hours in a well filled with ice-cold water and he was forced to drink large amounts of fish sauce. A criminal investigation into the case is still pending.