In 1903, Zartarian was arrested by the Turkish government and subsequently forced to leave the country because of his political activity. He established himself in Bulgaria and in 1906, founded a new newspaper called Razmig (Armenian: Ռազմիկ). When writing for the newspaper, Zartarian would often reiterate the need for Armenian nationals living outside their homeland to pursue working towards the ultimate goal of an autonomous Armenia. In 1908, he returned to Constantinople (Istanbul), along with many other Armenian intellectuals. A year later, Zartarian worked for the newspaper Azadamard (Armenian: Ազատամարտ) while teaching the Central College (Armenian: Կեդրոնական Վարժարան).