40. In the month of December, 2008 the State reported, without providing any further additional information, that the Department of Ex Gratia Pensions of the Ministry of the Interior, had granted an increase in the ex gratia pension benefit to Mr. Vinicio Poblete Tapia on September 11, 2008. 41. Finally, the State categorically denies the statements made by the Poblete family to the press, in which they asserted that the Director for Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had offered them a monetary compensation in exchange for their abandonment of their claims before international organizations. IV. ANALYSIS OF ADMISSIBILITY A. Competence of the Commission 42. According to the provisions of article 44 of the American Convention, the petitioners have standing to file a petition before the Commission. The instant petition indicates that the alleged victim was under the jurisdiction of the Chilean State at the time of the facts alleged. Regarding the State, Chile is a State-Party to the American Convention, having deposited its instrument of ratification on August 21, 1990. Consequently, the Commission is competent ratione personae to examine the complaint. The Commission is also competent ratione materiae because the petitioners claim that there have been violations of rights protected by the American Convention. 43. The Commission is competent ratione tempore to examine the petition because it is based on the allegation of facts occurred from January 17, 2001 onwards. The facts alleged therefore occurred after the entry into force of the obligations of the State as a party to the American Convention. In addition, since the petition alleges the violation of rights protected by the American Convention within the territory of a State-Party, the Commission concludes that it is competent ratione loci to examine the case. B. Other requirements for the admissibility of the petition 1. Exhaustion of domestic remedies 44. Article 46 of the American Convention establishes, for the admission of a case, the requirement that “the remedies under domestic law have been pursued and exhausted in accordance with generally recognized principles of international law.” The purpose of this 11