The Prime Minister said that he condemned the harassment and threats to journalists but urged journalists to come forward with such complaints saying that proof of such violations was needed before action could be taken. Amnesty International published a report in July which criticised the human rights situation, especially in relation to journalists and opposition politicians in Yemen. Violations of legal safeguards on arrest, detention and fair trial were common occurrences. Saudi Arabia and Yemen have an agreement whereby their respective media are not allowed to insult the neighbouring country, so when Al-Wahdawi published an article at the end of October which was seen to be insulting to Saudi Arabia the Information Ministry brought charges against them. In November the National Post published comments from the editor of the English-language daily, Yemen Times , Walid Abdulaziz Al Saqqaf on the media landscape in Yemen.
Media coverage is almost totally dedicated to the ruling party.
On May 26, a three-man British Broadcasting Corporation crew were arrested in Yemen. They had travelled to an area where the Bani Dabiyan tribe had kidnapped a British family in April despite being warned by the information ministry not to travel there. The three were acquitted on June 7 by Judge Haikal Ahmed Othman after he viewed the tapes they filmed and listened to witness testimony. He declared that they did not break any laws and were visiting the country legally. Othman said a Yememi law requiring reporters to advise the government of their movements applies only to resident journalists.