Updated at 4.29pm with Foreign Ministry's explanation below -

Maltese authorities have refused to issue a visa for the one-year-old baby of a Turkish investigative journalist, MEP David Casa has claimed.

Pelin Ünker, who is currently facing a 13-month jail sentence for having reported on the secret financial dealings of relatives of Turkish politicians, was due to fly to Malta with her husband and infant child to attend a vigil for murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia vigil on Saturday. 

Read: MEPs rally to defend Turkish journalist jailed for Malta story

In a statement decrying the "unbelievable" decision to deny Ms Ünker's child a visa, Mr Casa said that authorities had "taken issue" with a baby but had no qualms about issuing visas to "hundreds of Turkish construction workers". 

"What the Turkish government has tried to do - to separate a mother from her child - is now being done by the Maltese one," Mr Casa said. 

Despite the visa trouble, Ms Ünker would nevertheless be visiting Malta for "a few hours" and speaking at Ms Caruana Galizia's vigil, he added.  

Ms Ünker's visit to Malta follows an invitation from Mr Casa, who visited her and her legal team in Istanbul.

Addressing the European Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Casa appealed to the European Commission and the Council to urge the Turkish authorities to drop the charges against Ms Ünker.

Foreign Ministry explains

In a reaction to Mr Casa's claims, the Foreign Ministry said members of Ms Unker's family were not granted a visa given a previous decision which was already taken by another Schengen member state, whose authorities rejected similar applications by the same individuals.

The application was treated in accordance with standard procedures, the ministry said.