In March 2019, the Court of Appeals upheld the sentence of the trial court: his imprisonment, as well as a two-year ban from media and social media activities, a two-year ban from leaving the country and a fine of 600 million tomans.

In August 2018, Hossein Ahmadi Niaz, the journalist’s lawyer, said his client was charged with "insulting government and law enforcement officials," "insulting the sanctities and Shia Imams," "publishing lies with the intention of disturbing public opinion," and "publishing immoral material" and was sentenced to ten years and ten months in prison by Branch 1060 of the Criminal Court of the second judicial complexes of Tehran government employees.

Mir-Isma'ili, who has worked for Jahan-e Sana’t (World’s Industry), Ghanoon, and Etemad newspapers was last arrested on July 11, 2018, following a tweet criticizing the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee’s aid mission to the Gaza Strip. Mir-Isma'ili spent a month under pressure and tortur in Fashafuye prison. He was released on bail of 200 million tomans on 11 August 2018.

Mir-Isma'ili was arrested once before on April 24, 2018 for “insulting the sanctities and Shia Imams.” He had posted a tweet about the eighth Shia Imam. He was released on May 18, 2018, on another 200 million toman bail.

The Twitter posts that led to his arrest concerned the Shi’i Imam Reza: “There are two accounts of Imam Reza, one saying that he was poisoned by eating grapes and the other saying that it was caused by pomegranate juice. It seems like he was also a fan of grape juice [wine], chips and yogurt, but then, ‘Alam al-Ahadi says that gone[2]  doesn’t like us to drink and dance! Come on, Imam Reza is also one us”

Even though Mir-Isma’ili deleted his tweet after a few hours and repeatedly tweeted that he did not mean to offend anyone, his apology was not accepted.

On 4 May, Fars News Agency described him as an “abusive reporter” who was arrested at Imam Khomeini Airport while trying to “flee the country.” Mir-Isma'ili had gone to the airport with a ticket and a passport.

World Industry Newspaper, Mir-Isma’ili's employer, responded on Twitter to Mir-Isma'ili's tweet: “There is no room for insult in our newspaper, especially if it is towards the holy imams. Respecting our imams is and has always been beyond the “red lines” and therefore we have dealt with him [Mir-Isma'ili] accordingly.”

Mir-Isma’ili left the country before the Appeals Court hearing. He explained the reasons for leaving the country in an interview with Manoto TV in May 2019.

After leaving Iran, Mir-Isma’ili repeatedly stated that he had been threatened with death by Iranian security agents and that his family had been summoned and interrogated several times in Iran.