A blogger who stands accused of slandering the family of a high-ranking official has been released, pending further investigation, an official from the Ministry of Public Security’s southern branch, said Thursday.

 

Le Nguyen Huong Tra, 33, is now prohibited from leaving her residential area, according to Cao Minh Nhan, deputy chief of Anti-crime Police General Department.

 

Tra, who blogged under the nickname Co gai do long, was arrested on October 23 after she published an entry about an official’s family based on an anonymous letter.

 

She raised questions about whether or not beauty queens and artists were “protected” because they were his son’s lovers.

 

Tra has published baseless and false information that negatively affected the prestige and dignity of the invididuals she named and state agencies as well, according to investigators.

 

The popular blogger was accused of “taking advantage of democratic freedoms to violate the state’s benefits; legal rights and benefits of organizations and citizens.”

 

The Ministry of Public Security’s investigation remains underway.