Does being removed from a location via a character ability or event count as "leaving"?
It isn't specifically limited to the movement actions, so anything that causes your pawn to no longer be in that location would count, including events or character abilities. You do have the option to simply stay in that location and perform non-movement actions, which can be viable towards the end of the game if you're about to win or lose anyway.

I asked the same question on BGG, and while there aren't any "official" answers, all of the posts so far have agreed with the conclusion that there are no exceptions.