Kranh Tony (L), acting director of the ECCC’s office of administration, hands out books of documents from the landmark Case 001 against Duch, including the final judgment. Photograph: Meng Kimlong/Phnom Penh Post

Administrator at the courtroom of the Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday passed out hundreds of glossy books to students, government officials and members of the military.

The doorstopper-size volumes are bound copies of the final judgment in February for Case 001 against Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, commander of the torture centre S-21 in Phnom Penh.

Thousands of copies have been printed as part of an expanding project by the tribunal to educate the public about Duch’s trial, and to bring a form of closure to victims and civil parties in the case.

In May, administrators passed out copies of the judgment to S-21 survivors.

“This is just the beginning,” said court spokesman Neth Pheaktra. “We plan to organise other ceremonies.”

After sitting through a brief presentation on the trial and a Q&A session, representatives from the groups distributed the books.

In addition to the judgments there were slimmer books containing printed apologies that Duch had made.

There were also free T-shirts bearing the logo of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia.

Sim Seng Huong, a 19-year-old student from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said she attended the forum to learn more about the legal procedure of the trial against Duch. She’s going to use the distributed texts for research purposes.

“From the book, I will try to learn how the judges came to the verdict against Duch. As I’m part of the younger generation, I don’t know much about the Pol Pot regime.”

To contac the reporters on this story: Vong Sokheng at [email protected]

Joseph Freeman at [email protected]