A young man has died during a student hazing – the initiation ceremonies that often involve being put in painful positions or consuming excessive quantities of alcohol – in Gedinne, a small town in Namur province. The death was confirmed on Sunday by the Namur prosecutor, Vincent Macq.
The victim was born in 2002 and died in the early hours of Sunday morning in a student hazing ceremony organised by various colleges in the region, the prosecutor's office confirmed. An investigation is currently ongoing, Belga News Agency reports.
More than 300 young people were staying at the location. A forensics team and coroner have already arrived at the site, along with the prosecutor himself. "An investigation is underway to determine who is responsible according to penal law," Macq stated.
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An autopsy is due to be carried out at the end of the day on Tuesday. Until then, the prosecutor has declined to comment on the cause of death.
This is not the first tragic ending to a student hazing, with young student Sanda Dia dying in a ritual ceremony in 2018. The often humiliating and sadistic practices attract widespread denunciation with each new academic year, yet are still not forbidden outright.
