Our friend and colleague, Jerome Cohen, passed away on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2025. Professor Cohen was an esteemed scholar of East Asian Law who introduced East Asian legal systems into American legal education and shaped generations of lawyers and scholars. His dedication to democratic principles, his commitment to the next generation of legal scholars and advocates, and his kindness and friendship, are ideals we must all strive for, especially in these challenging times.
Professor Cohen’s colleague and friend, Teng Biao, a renowned human rights lawyer from China, wrote the following in his memory:
“In the summer of 2006, Jerry Cohen visited Beijing, and I invited about 15 lawyers to join him for dinner. Gao Zhisheng was among them, and we all sensed that he was already on the road to prison. Jerry advised Gao to slow down, as we discussed strategies for the Rights Defense (Weiquan) Movement then in its early stage. Jerry had already given immense support to the blind activist Chen Guangcheng and in the case of Sun Zhigang—an incident later seen as the symbolic beginning of the Weiquan movement. He warmly praised the efforts by Xu Zhiyong, myself, and others who tried to use existing legal channels to promote the rule of law in China. For decades, he poured tremendous passion into supporting Chinese human rights defenders. Every time we met, he asked me about the latest situation of Chinese lawyers and prisoners of conscience.
Even before I was born, Jerry had begun studying Chinese law and politics. Later, he played a decisive role in reviving legal institutions from the ashes of the Cultural Revolution and Mao-era lawlessness. He was the godfather of the study of PRC law in the West—a mentor of mentors. No one did more than Jerry to advance Sino-US exchanges in legal education and the legal profession. When I co-initiated “Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Day” in 2016, I persuaded the other organizers to establish the Award for Advancing Rule of Law and Human Rights in China and to present the inaugural honor to Jerry. This award was cancelled in the following year, so Jerry’s became the only one.
One question he often asked himself was whether engagement with China was truly worthwhile—could it really make a difference? I criticized engagement policy that ignored human rights and democratization, which too often amounted to appeasement, and I called instead for “principled engagement.” That, in fact, was exactly what Jerry embodied. Without self-censorship, he persistently raised human rights issues. In 2007, Jerry was appointed honorary professor at the China University of Political Science and Law. In his speech, he earnestly urged the university leadership to protect teachers—“trouble-makers” like me—from pressure by the authorities. I was in the audience that day, deeply moved. In July 2009, Jerry testified before the CECC, mentioning my disbarment and enforced disappearance. Two years later, when I was again kidnapped and disappeared by Chinese secret police, Jerry met with my family and publicly called for my release. As a thinker, mentor, social activist and great humanist, Jerry’s model of “critical engagement” should continue to inspire scholars and policymakers who now wrestle with questions of confrontation, decoupling, and appeasement.
After being banned from teaching, disbarred, abducted, and tortured repeatedly, I fled China in 2014 and continued my research and activism in the U.S. Jerry cared not only about my safety but also about my career. In 2015, he invited me to be a visiting fellow at the US-Asia Law Institute at NYU, which he founded and greatly shaped through his contributions.
He empathized deeply with the suffering of humanity, yet he never yielded to darkness. As a Jew born in 1930, he knew how far atrocities and barbarity could go. Jerry applauded the courage of Chinese activists and dissidents, condemned CCP leaders who trampled human rights and suppressed freedom, and never lost confidence in the Chinese people. Whenever he had the chance to meet Chinese leaders, he told them directly to do the right thing.
For one time I nearly fell into depression, Jerry told me that most of my pain was inflicted by myself. His kindness and understanding pulled me out of despair and showed me the power of inner peace. He patiently wrote recommendation letters for me, responded to my emails almost instantly, and invited me to countless panels and discussions. He wrote a preface to my book that I’m still working on.
In 2020, Jerry and I co-taught a seminar, “Law, Justice, and Human Rights in China,” at The New School and the course attracted nearly 1000 registrars. Later, we co-authored an article on two competing visions of China’s political future—Xi vs. Xu. Last year, Jerry welcomed my seven-hour interview at his home, spread over two sessions. His wisdom, humor, compassion and optimism were all unforgettable. When the photographer and I suggested him taking a break, he smiled and said, “I can speak another four hours.” Upon the request of the China Journal of Democracy, a quarterly I co-established and he passionately supported, I conducted an academic interview, and his analysis of Chinese party-state and legal system was thought-provoking. Our final collaboration was published in July 2025, marking the 10th anniversary of the “709 crackdown” on Chinese lawyers.
Jerry was tireless and undefeated. Even after retiring from NYU at the age of 90, he remained active—moderating talks, giving speeches, writing blogs, and reverently, speaking out for political prisoners in China, Hong Kong, East Turkestan, and Tibet. The last time I saw him, I brought food from Ma Ju’s restaurant, and by coincidence he was reading a New York Times report about Ma. He cared deeply not only about people in China, but also about the diaspora community—our fears, efforts and hopes.
Jerry Cohen’s life was a blessing to the world, and he himself was blessed. I will never forget his smile, his voice, his deep eyes and boundless love. It just pained me that, when he left this world, both the United States and China were drifting into a dark direction. But his legacy will continue to inspire the people he loved so much, people who carry forward the beautiful causes he cherished, with the belief that we must try our best to make the world better.”