Variation of witness list

Notion(s)	Filing	Case
Variation of witness list \| Discretionary decisions \| Witnesses \| Trial management issues	Appeal Judgement - 14.12.2015	NYIRAMASUHUKO et al. (Butare) (ICTR-98-42-A)
174. Rule 73bis(E) of the Rules provides that after the commencement of the trial, the Prosecutor, if he considers it to be in the interests of justice, may move the trial chamber for leave to reinstate the list of witnesses or to vary his decision as to which witnesses are to be called. The rule does not impose a time limit to validly raise a request under this provision. However, the jurisprudence of both the Tribunal and the ICTY indicates that, when assessing whether it is in the interests of justice to permit the Prosecution to vary its witness list, the trial chamber shall take into account the potential prejudice to the Defence and the stage of the proceedings among other factors.[1] The Appeals Chamber nonetheless emphasises that decisions concerning the variation of a party’s witness list are among the discretionary decisions of the trial chamber to which the Appeals Chamber must accord deference.[2] […] 178. […] [T]he purpose of Rule 73bis(E) of the Rules is to allow the Prosecution to correct its prior assessment of which witnesses to call “after the commencement of [t]rial”. Nothing in Rule 73bis(E) of the Rules requires that the addition of new witnesses be conditioned upon the removal of witnesses who were expected to testify about the same facts.[3] […] 179. […] Furthermore, while the Appeals Chamber observes that trial chambers of the ICTY have previously emphasised considerations such as the stage of the proceedings and the justification provided in support of requests for the amendment of witness lists,[4] the Appeals Chamber finds that Ntahobali’s reliance on the Mrkšić et al. decisions is not pertinent. The Appeals Chamber stresses that the manner in which the discretion to manage trials is exercised by a trial chamber should be determined in accordance with the case before it; what is reasonable in one trial is not automatically reasonable in another.[5] The question of whether a trial chamber abused its discretion should not be considered in isolation, but rather by taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case at hand.[6] It can therefore not be held that granting a request for the addition of witnesses in the last stages of a party’s presentation of its case is per se unreasonable and prejudicial to the opposing party; such an assessment rather requires a careful balancing of various interests and circumstances on a case-by-case basis. show footnotes [1] See Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir, Case No. IT-05-88/2-T, Decision on Prosecution’s Motion for Leave to Amend the Rule 65ter Witness List and for Disclosure of an Expert Witness Report Pursuant to Rule 94bis, 31 August 2010, para. 4; Prosecutor v. Radovan Karadžić, Case No. IT-95-5/18-T, Decision on Prosecution’s Motion for Leave to Amend Its Witness List to Add Witness KDZ597, 1 July 2010, para. 5; Prosecutor v. Momčilo Perišić, Case No. IT‑04-81-T, Decision on Prosecution’s Motion to Substitute Expert Witness, 30 October 2009 (“Perišić 30 October 2009 Decision”), para. 6; Prosecutor v. Vlastimir Đorđević, Case No. IT-05-87/1-T, Decision on Prosecution’s Motion to Add Milan Đaković to the Rule 65ter Witness List, 21 May 2009 (“Đorđević 21 May 2009 Decision”), para. 6; The Prosecutor v. Théoneste Bagosora et al., Case No. ICTR-98-41-T, Decision on Prosecutor’s Motion for Leave to Vary the Witness List Pursuant to Rule 73bis(E), 21 May 2004, para. 13. See also The Prosecutor v. Augustin Ndindiliyimana et al., Case No. ICTR-2000-56-T, Decision on Prosecution Motion to Vary Its List of Witnesses: Rule 73 bis (E) of the Rules, 11 February 2005, paras. 22, 23. [2] See Augustin Ngirabatware v. The Prosecutor, Case No. ICTR-99-54-AR73(C), Decision on Ngirabatware’s Appeal of the Decision Reducing the Number of Defence Witnesses, 20 February 2012 (“Ngirabatware Appeal Decision”), para. 12; The Prosecutor v. Pauline Nyiramasuhuko et al., Case No. ICTR-98-42-AR73, Decision on Joseph Kanyabashi’s Appeal Against the Decision of Trial Chamber II of 21 March 2007 Concerning the Dismissal of Motions to Vary His Witness List, 21 August 2007 (“21 August 2007 Appeal Decision”), para. 10; Prosecutor v. Milan Milutinović et al., Case No. IT-05-87-AR73.1, Decision on Interlocutory Appeal Against Second Decision Precluding the Prosecution from Adding General Wesley Clark to Its 65ter Witness List, 20 April 2007 (“Milutinović et al. Appeal Decision”), paras. 9, 10. [3] See The Prosecutor v. Augustin Ngirabatware, Case No. ICTR-99-54-T, Decision on Prosecution Motion for Leave to Vary Its Witness List, 28 January 2010, para. 50, referring to The Prosecutor v. Augustin Ndindiliyimana et al., Case No. ICTR-2000-56-T, Decision on Sagahutu’s Request to Vary His Witness List, 26 May 2008, paras. 5, 6. [4] See, e.g., Perišić 30 October 2009 Decision, para. 6; Đorđević 21 May 2009 Decision, para. 5; Prosecutor v. Milan Lukić and Sredoje Lukić, Case No. IT-98-32/1-T, Decision on Prosecution’s Motion to Amend Prosecution’s Witness List (Dr. Fagel), 3 November 2008, p. 3. [5] Haradinaj et al. Appeal Judgement, para. 39. [6] Haradinaj et al. Appeal Judgement, para. 39. Download full document		ICTR Rule Rule 73bis(E) ICTY Rule Rule 73bis(F)