On her way to the airport, she spoke briefly to her grandmother, who explained that there was a massive backlash against her in the media back in Belarus, including reports that she was mentally ill. Her grandmother, she said, advised her not to return.
At the airport, she sought help from police, translating a plea on her phone and showing it to them.
As the drama unfolded, European countries offered to help her, and the runner ended up at the Polish embassy, where she received a humanitarian visa. Many of Belarus’ activists have fled to Poland to avoid a brutal crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko’s government.
At a news conference in Warsaw on Thursday, Tsimanouskaya thanked the people who supported her during the standoff.
“It was the whole world, and these people make me much stronger,” she said.
She also had a message for her fellow Belarusians.
“I want to…
