Pop star Denise Ho was detained by Hong Kong police

Hong Kong bans Tiananmen anniversary gatherings 1:38

(CNN) -

Hong Kong pop star and prominent pro-democracy activist Denise Ho was arrested at her home Wednesday morning by the city's national security police.

He was one of six people arrested in an operation carried out early in the morning, all of them linked to the online media organization Stand News.

Police later confirmed in a press conference that a seventh person had been arrested.

The police have charged them with "conspiracy to publish seditious material", a crime from the colonial era.

• Stand News closes in Hong Kong after police arrested seven people linked to this pro-democracy outlet

Ho, a former member of the Stand News board of directors, was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Canada.

She rose to fame in the early 2000s with a series of successful albums in the cantopop genre, or Cantonese popular music, before carving out a successful acting career.

He later became the international face of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, appearing before the United Nations and the United States Congress.

Songwriter Denise Ho Wan-see speaks during an event on September 4, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia.

Denise Ho, detained by the police at her home

Police spent more than two hours at Ho's home on Wednesday, according to his assistant, who asked not to be named.

The officers seized phones and computers, as well as Ho's identity card and passport.

They then took her to a police station, according to a post on Ho's verified Facebook page.

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Also on Wednesday, some 200 police officers raided the offices of Stand News and seized journalistic material, according to the Hong Kong government and the Hong Kong Journalists Association, raising concerns about declining press freedoms after the imposition of a broad National Security Law in the city in 2020.

The Hong Kong government has repeatedly denied criticism that the law - which criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces - has stifled freedoms, claiming instead that it has restored order to the city after the move. 2019 protest.

The beginnings of Ho's activism

Ho first became interested in politics in 2012 after coming out as gay, but it was the student-led Umbrella Revolution of 2014 that saw him take on a more prominent role.

During those massive pro-democracy demonstrations and sit-ins, Ho took to the streets, becoming one of the movement's most outspoken supporters, and one of the last to be dragged away by the police when they evicted the protest camps.

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"I have this younger generation that listens to my music," Ho told CNN in 2017. "So I think I have this responsibility to do the right thing, and not spread fear with my actions."

When pro-democracy and anti-government protests spread across Hong Kong again in 2019, she continued to march with protesters, but also used her platform to seek international support.

In July 2019, he spoke to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, urging the organization to "protect the people of Hong Kong" and remove China from the council.

He argued that China had breached the commitments it made when it took control of Hong Kong in 1997, echoing the concerns of millions of Hong Kong protesters at the time.

During her speech at the UN, Chinese diplomats repeatedly interrupted her, accusing her of violating the UN Constitution and attacking "without foundation" the Hong Kong model of government of "one country, two systems".

His activism has had other repercussions over the years as well, including blacklisting and censorship in mainland China.

Chinese state media have attacked Ho as "Hong Kong poison" in previous years.

In 2016, amid criticism of Ho from Beijing, luxury brand Lancome canceled a promotional concert featuring the star, citing "security reasons."

With information from Nectar Gan, James Griffiths, Teele Rebane, and Jadyn Sham.

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