16. Honduras claims that domestic remedies have not been exhausted and that there was no unwarranted delay of justice; that the proceedings against the parties allegedly implicated continues in the Honduran courts. It claims that in the case of the persons whose charges were dismissed, the principle of presumption of innocence was applied and that the fact that one of the defendants has already been found guilty establishes the suitability, appropriateness and effectiveness of domestic judicial remedies to provide legal protection to the parties. IV. ANALYSIS OF ADMISSIBILITY A. Competence ratione personae, rationae materiae, ratione temporis, and ratione loci of the Commission 17. Pursuant to Article 44 of the American Convention and Article 23 of the IACHR’s Rules of Procedure, the petitioners, as legally recognized non-governmental entities, are entitled to file petitions to the Commission related to alleged violations of the rights contained in the American Convention. Regarding the State, Honduras is a party to the Convention and hence is responsible internationally for the violations of that treaty. The petitioners claim Carlos Alfonso Escaleras Mejía and his family, i.e., his wife Martha Mercedes Alvarenga Reyes and his children Douglas Arnaldo Escaleras and Emerson Alexander Escalera as the alleged victims. These are all human beings whose rights are contained in the Convention, rights which the State has the duty to guarantee. Based on all of the above, the Commission has competence ratione personae to examine the petition. 18. The Commission has competence ratione materiae because the petition refers to alleged violations of human rights protected by Articles 4, 5, 8, 25 and 1(1) of the American Convention. It has competence ratione temporis because the alleged actions occurred when the obligations of respecting and guaranteeing the rights contained in the Convention were already in force for the Honduran State, which ratified the instrument on September 8, 1977. Finally, the Commission has competence ratione loci because the alleged facts occurred in the territory of the Republic of Honduras which, as said before, is a party to the American Convention. B. Admissibility requirements for the petition 1. Exhaustion of domestic remedies 7