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Polish citizen Teresa Strzelec allowed to leave Belarus

The Belarusian authorities announced on Thursday that Polish citizen Teresa Strzelec was no longer prohibited from leaving Belarus, but warned that she was still required to pay a large amount in a tax and import duty over the sale of her car, BelaPAN said.

In a statement, the State Customs Committee accused Ms. Strzelec of lending her Polish-registered vehicle to a Belarusian citizen in violation of regulations.

"At the same time, although the person has failed to meet the [financial] obligations, the Belarusian side made a decision today out of humanitarian considerations to lift the restrictions on Ms. Strzelec`s exit from the country. She may leave the Republic of Belarus at any moment," said the statement.

Earlier this week, Ms. Strzelec, who has been forced to stay in Belarus for more than a month, went on hunger strike to protest her plight.

Ms. Strzelec planned to leave Belarus on March 5 when she was told by border guards that she had to pay more than $20,000 in a tax and import duty before she could exit the country. The woman subsequently had her Belarusian visa annulled and could not cross the border into Poland.

In 2012, Ms. Strzelec left her car at a repair shop in Brest after it broke down in the Belarusian city. Days later, police stopped the car with a mechanic`s son behind the wheel and seized the vehicle.

A court ordered the vehicle confiscated, accusing Ms. Strzelec of illegally lending it to a Belarusian citizen. The Polish woman and her husband mounted a legal battle against the ruling and eventually won their appeal. However, the vehicle had already been sold for 53 million rubels ($6,160) by that time.

In February this year, a court ordered the customs to give the money to Ms. Strzelec. As the woman arrived in Brest to collect the money, she learned to her surprise that she had to pay over 170 million rubels in a tax and import duty over the car sale.