Beytullah Güneyi, widely known by his stage name Beytocan, was a prominent Kurdish singer and cultural figure born on January 1, 1955, in the Farqin region of Diyarbakir province, in Northern Kurdistan. Singing primarily in the Northern Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish, Beytocan became a powerful voice for his people through music that resonated deeply across Kurdistan and beyond.
His emotionally charged songs such as “Agir Ketiye Dilê Min” (“Fire Has Fallen into My Heart”) and “Yan Mirin Yan Diyarbekir” (“Either Death or Diyarbakir”) earned him widespread acclaim. These iconic works have not only become staples in Kurdish households but have also been covered by many other artists, testifying to their enduring impact.
Beytocan’s life was marked by hardship and resilience. Following the military coup in Turkey on September 12, 1980, he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served six years and five months before his release in 1987. In 1990, he released his debut album “Te Nadin Min”, but the ongoing restrictions on the Kurdish language forced him into exile. A year later, he migrated to Sweden, where he lived from 1991 until his death.
Over the course of his career, Beytocan released four albums, one of which—”Yan Mirin Yan Diyarbekir”—was banned by Turkish authorities for its content. Despite censorship and political repression, his music continued to speak to the collective memory and identity of the Kurdish people.
In 2014, after 23 years in exile, Beytocan returned to Northern Kurdistan for a brief visit to his hometown of Amed (Diyarbakir). At Amed Airport, he was warmly welcomed by his sister Ferha Dağ, Muharrem Cebe, the head of the Amed Metropolitan Municipality’s Culture and Tourism Department, and fellow artist Farqin.
In November 2020, it was publicly announced that Beytocan was battling cancer. After undergoing several surgeries—including one that removed part of his jaw—he faced increasing difficulties with speech in the final years of his life.
Beytocan passed away on September 12, 2023, in Stockholm, Sweden, at the age of 68. His legacy remains as one of the most influential figures in Kurdish music—an artist whose voice carried the pain, pride, and perseverance of an entire nation.
