She joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) after meeting several leaders of the organization in Baku, she became politically aligned with the far left under their influence.

She quickly earned the trust and friendship of Christapor Mikaelian, one of the organization's founders, and was invited to participate in Operation Nejuik, which aimed to assassinate Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the principal orchestrator of the Hamidian massacres that resulted in the deaths of between 100,000 and 300,000 Armenians.

She was responsible for setting up the bombs for detonation and activating the timer during the culmination of the plot, the Abdul Hamid II assassination attempt in Yıldız.

Sentenced to death in absentia, Areshian became a prominent figure within the ARF over time, with the failures of the plot being attributed to her rival within the commando, Martiros Margarian.

[1] In Baku, she lived with her sister and brother-in-law, making her a neighbor of Nikol Duman, one of the leaders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF).

[1] During her stay, she met several ARF leaders, including its co-founder Christapor Mikaelian, who was influenced by Bakunin and defended close positions with anarcho-communism,[2] and Martiros Margarian.

[1] In any case, Areshian herself stated that her political awakening occurred through her interactions with Mikaelian and Ohanjanian, which led her to join the Armenian national liberation movement.

[1] Before involving her more deeply in the project, the organizers held a meeting to discuss whether women should be included in the assassination attempt or "spared" from such tasks.

[8] Alongside Areshian, Mikaelian Margarian and Seitz, the group included Belgian anarchist Edward Joris and his wife, Anna Nellens, who joined the operation out of ideological alignment.

[6] After Areshian and Mikaelian initially scouted the location, the group first proposed throwing bombs directly at the sultan to ensure his death by targeting him personally.

[12] I was astonished; how could one be a revolutionary and be afraid of sacrifice and not take advantage of all the positions available?Despite her objections, Margarian’s plan gradually gained traction and was ultimately adopted.

[6] Areshian brought scissors with her, sparking an argument with Margarian, as they would allow her to trigger the explosion instantly by cutting the bomb’s activation mechanism, which he deemed "unnecessary and superfluous".

[17] Their plan to flee Constantinople quickly was already compromised, as the delay caused them to miss the last ferries departing for Piraeus and the Russian Empire.

[18] Despite its inaccuracy, this characterization of her as unreliable persisted for a long time within the Armenian national liberation movement, largely because Areshian’s defense was marginalized and obscured.

[19] However, this narrative failed to convince the ARF leadership, which attributed the majority of the mission’s failures to Margarian and largely absolved Areshian of blame.

In their reports following the attack, they described her as:[21][22] Robina Fein, also known as Nadejda Datalian, daughter of Wolf, a young Armenian from the Caucasus, whose real name is unknown.

She participated in the plans and activities of the Committee in Constantinople and played an active role in the explosion of the cart bomb.Ottoman justice found her guilty of:[23] preparation of the criminal enterprise [...] including taking part in all the deliberations [...] taking an effective part in the tests of explosive devices, the study and the preparation of the infernal machine [...] lending herself as an inspired virgin to the attempts of the organisers to garner followers, to excite revolutionary ideas and to stimulate the activity of the members of the Committee.This characterization made by Ottoman justice is highlighted by Houri Berberian as a way of denying Areshian any direct involvement in the process.

[23] By reducing her actions and leadership to a passive role, this narrative sought to diminish her contributions and discredit her agency in the revolutionary act.

[19] Upon learning of Hamo's arrest by the Russian authorities, along with other ARF leaders like Avetis Aharonian and Hovsep Arghutian, she left the Ottoman capital to join the Caucasus.

[19] Her brother, Mikhail Areshian, an officer who later became one of the three leaders of the Armenian volunteer units in the Russian army, managed to secure her release under the condition that she not return to the Caucasus, Moscow, or Saint Petersburg.