along with being a writer, arpiar arpiarian was a political activist and revolutionary who supported reforms in the ottoman empire in light of sultan abdul hamid ii's treatment of the armenian population. in 1889, arpiarian joined the social democrat hunchakian party and founded the ararat society with a group of youths to spread education in the ottoman provinces. in 1890, he participated in the kum kapu demonstration and was arrested as a revolutionary with a number of other hunchakians and jailed for two months. he was released in a general amnesty. in 1891, he founded and became editor of the daily "hayrenik" (հայրենիք, fatherland) with his friend, hovhannes shahnazarian. this paper was suppressed by the sultan for its democratic ideas.