Note from the president of H360 on the passing of José Gregori

On behalf of the Humanitas360 Institute, I express my deep condolences at the passing of José Gregori, one of the most inspiring men I have ever had the opportunity to know, and I offer sincere solidarity to his family and friends in this time of mourning.

Former Minister of Justice, José Gregori was a tireless defender of the Democratic State of Law and human rights. Admirable, his public commitment goes back to his role in the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of São Paulo, which during the military regime extended a hand to relatives of political prisoners, and reaches the institutional role played, for example, in the Special Secretariat for Human Rights – a body created during the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government, which is at the origin of the current Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship.

A generous man, José Gregori did not hesitate to share the knowledge he had accumulated, always willing to enlist more and more people for the causes he embraced. I am grateful for the many times he personally guided me on my journey of activism and philanthropy. I also remember the occasions when he accepted the invitation of the Humanitas360 Institute to be with us in training and debate activities.

“Without a doubt, the prison problem is one of the demonstrations – while it is as badly treated and as tragic as in Brazil – of low regard for human rights and civilization itself”, Gregori told us on one of these occasions, in the workshop “Punishment, Prison and Reinsertion”, carried out by H360 in 2017. The commitment to work to solve this problem is one of the legacies left by José Gregori for us.

Dear Minister, I will sorely miss your compassion, technical knowledge and charm. I hope to meet you again in eternity.

– Patricia Villela Marino