Sole survivor of Brazil's House of Death torture center dies at 72

NITERóI, Brazil, April 28 (UPI) -- Ines Etienne Romeu, the sole survivor of the House of Death military regime torture center in Brazil, has died age 72.

Romeu was interrogated and tortured during the 1970s in what became known as the House of Death in Petropolis, about 40 miles from the Rio de Janeiro, which was used to interrogate opposition.

She gave important testimony in Brazil's Truth Commission of 2012 to expose human rights abuses under the country's previous military rule. More than 400 people were killed or went missing between 1964 and 1985.

The commission identified 377 people, about 100 who are still alive, responsible for human rights abuses and stated the survivors should be brought to trial. A 1979 Amnesty Law complicates the possibility of a trial.

Romeu is praised for her courage while under torture. A guard suggested that she kill herself on a highway by throwing herself under a car. She refused, grabbing the guard's legs and screaming until she got the attention of someone passing by.

She was returned to her sister after two more weeks of abuse, weighing only about 70 pounds. She memorized the names of her abusers and the location of the House of Death.

Romeu was attacked at her home by an unidentified intruder in 2003, which left her unable to speak. She died peacefully at her home in Niterói, according to her brother.