The 18 students who organised the hazing ritual which led to the death of 20-year-old Sanda Dia have been sentenced to up to 300 hours of community service and a €400 fine. All students involved in the death have therefore avoided prison.
Antwerp's Court of Appeals handed out the ruling on Friday to bring those responsible for Dia's death to justice. The 20-year-old died of hypothermia and organ failure in 2018 after being forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol and fish oil.
His death occurred during his initiation at KU Leuven's Reuzegom student club, which has also come under fire after its members were found to have worn robes similar to those of the Ku Klux Klan. Reuzegom members also reportedly compared Dia to a monkey.
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However, Antwerp's Court of Appeals not ruled that the students were not culpable of negligence or manslaughter.
While the prosecution had previously called for them to receive a 50-month prison sentence, all 18 members have been instead ordered to pay a €400 fine to Dia's family and to carry out 300 hours of community service.
If any of them fail to carry out their community service, they will receive an alternative 15-day prison sentence.
