Siniša Vukelić, the editor-in-chief of Capital.ba portal, was invited on Thursday 8 May 2023 to the Police Directorate in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to give a statement regarding a criminal complaint filed by a company representative, who is also a local politician. He accused the web page Capital of publishing a audio-document from a phone call in which he used chauvinist words and swear words against Vukelić and journalist Bojana Ninković. Ninković officially presented herself as a journalist working for Capital.ba.
Vukelić, after being questioned, stated that he gave his statement as a witness and considered the criminal complaint to be baseless. He expressed hope that the prosecutor would dismiss it, as he believed it was inappropriate for the state to allocate resources and money to such cases in democratic countries.
Vukelić found it intriguing that this case resurfaced when discussions on amendments to the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska (RS) were ongoing, which aimed to criminalize defamation. Although uncertain about a direct connection between the case and the legal changes, Vukelić highlighted the timing as interesting.
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