Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai’s national security trial has wrapped up after nearly two years of proceedings.

The case against Lai, 77, has drawn the attention of world leaders and global rights groups, with observers closely watching the outcome as a barometer of the financial hub’s rule of law and freedoms.

Closing arguments in the trial finished on Thursday, following repeated delays due to bad weather and concerns over Lai’s health, with the date for the verdict to be set at a later date.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who is Jimmy Lai?

Long before his national security trial, Lai was known as one of Hong Kong’s most famous rags-to-riches stories.

After fleeing China for then-British Hong Kong as a child in the 1950s, he built up a business empire in the city over several decade

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