On December 7, 1975, Indonesia invaded East Timor shortly after the country declared independence from Portugal. Isabel Barreto Lobato and other members of Fretilin's political leadership were captured by Indonesian troops. The next morning, December 8th, Barreto Lobato and her colleagues were taken to Dili's waterfront wharf where they were shot by Indonesian forces and thrown into the harbor. Other individuals killed with Barreto Lobato during the mass execution included Rosa Bonaparte, Bernardino Bonaparte, and Francisco Borja da Costa, the composer of East Timor's national anthem.