Kurdish musician Beytocan passes away in Sweden

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Kurdish musician Beytocan, who had been receiving cancer treatment in Sweden for a long time, passed away at the age of 68 in Stockholm this morning.

According to Mezopotamya Agency, Beytocan had recently undergone a major surgery, where a part of his right jaw was removed and replaced with a piece from his leg.

Throughout his music career, Beytocan released four albums. His album "Bîst û Yekê Adarê" (March 21) was banned in Turkey. In an interview he gave before his passing, he talked about conducting his music projects under challenging circumstances.

Arrested during the September 12 coup

Born in 1955 in Silvan, Diyarbakır, Beytocan was arrested during the military coup on September 12, 1980, and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He spent 6.5 years in prison and was released in 1987. After his release from prison, Beytocan began his music career in Istanbul and worked with celebrity musicians like Orhan Gencebay and Selami Şahin.

In 1990, Beytocan released his first album, and a year later in 1991, he had to migrate to Sweden.

Returning to Diyarbakır after 23 years in 2014, Beytocan released albums such as "Axîna te Nalîna min" (Your sigh, my cry), "Te nadin min" (They don't let me have you), and "Etûna Dilê Min" (Oven of my heart) in addition to "Bîst û Yekê Adarê" (March 21). 

(FD/PE)