“A few days ago we were informed by the KRG Council of Ministers that Prime Minister Barzani has ordered to send Farhad to Jordan for medical treatment,” the writer’s brother Ziad told Rudaw.
“The expense of the medical treatment in Jordan will be paid by PM Barzani,” he added.
“The health of my brother is getting better but he needs to be sent abroad since there are not suitable medical devices and treatments here in the Kurdistan Region for his psychological problems,” Ziad explained.
Farhad Pirbal was arrested in March under article 226 of the Iraqi penal code, which concerns defamation.
A video emerged in March showing Pibal defaming Mona Qahwachi, a Turkmen Front MP in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament.
Following the incident, his family issued a statement, revealing Pirbal has psychological issues and urged authorities to take the necessary steps to rehabilitate him. The family claimed he was addicted to drugs and was a threat to the safety and security of the public.
Pirbal has a doctorate in the history of Kurdish literature, which he studied at Paris-Sorbonne University in France.
The writer has been a lecturer at Salahaddin University-Erbil since 1994 and has authored more than 43 books.
