A WASHINGTON Post reporter who was suspended after tweeting a link to an article about Kobe Bryant's rape case just hours after his death has been reinstated.

Felicia Sonmez had been placed on administrative leave after posting a 2016 Daily Beast story about the 2003 rape case against Bryant.

The NBA superstar was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

"After conducting an internal review, we have determined that, while we consider Felicia's tweets ill-timed, she was not in clear and direct violation of our social media policy," Post managing editor Tracy Grant said in a statement to CBS News.

"Reporters on social media represent the Washington Post, and our policy states 'we must be ever mindful of preserving the reputation of The Washington Post for journalistic excellence, fairness and independence."

Grant added that we "consistently urge restraint, which is particularly important when there are tragic deaths. We regret having spoken publicly about a personal matter."

Sonmez, a national political reporter, said in a statement last night that Post readers and employees, "including myself," deserve to hear from executive editor Marty Baron regarding how the matter was handled.

"Washington Post journalists endeavor to live up to the paper's mission statement, which states, 'The newspaper shall tell ALL the truth so far as it can learn it, concerning the important affairs of America and the world.'

She added that "my suspension, and Mr. Baron's Jan. 26 email warning me that my tweets about a matter of public record were 'hurting this institution,' have unfortunately sown confusion about the depth of management's commitment to this goal.

"I hope Washington Post newsroom leaders will not only prioritize their employees' safety in the face of threats of physical harm but also ensure that no journalist will be punished for speaking the truth."

Sonmez said she received thousands of threats following the tweet about the Bryant rape case, which was later deleted.

The tweet was titled, "Kobe Bryant's Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser's Story, and the Half-Confession."

The story details the 2003 rape case against Bryant, for which the charges against him were dropped and the case settled in a civil lawsuit.

That year, a 19-year-old woman alleged the basketball star raped her in an hotel room.

Bryant denied the charges but admitted to cheating on his wife and issued a statement acknowledging that although he believed the sex to be consensual, the 19-year-old hotel employee did not.

The article about the rape case was shared just hours after it was revealed that the NBA star and his 13-year-old daughter had died in a helicopter crash along with seven others.

In a follow-up to her original post she wrote, "Well, THAT was eye-opening."

"To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story – which was written 3+ years ago, and not by me.

"Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling.

"That folks are responding with rage and threats toward me (someone who didn't even write the piece and but found it well-reported) speaks volumes about the pressure people come under to stay silent in these cases."

The majority of the backlash was overwhelmingly negative, with the hashtag #FireFeliciaSonmez trending.

Users banded together to brand the post "disgusting" and irresponsible."

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