“any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”85 163. The African Commission will now seek to address issues as outlined in the submissions of the Complainants viz: (a) the Arab Republic of Egypt, through its State Security Intelligence force tortured and/or ill-treated the Victims; (b) the State, through its intelligence services, prosecutor‟s office and security court, denied the Victims the essential safeguards against torture and ill-treatment, including prompt access to counsel, to a court and to medical personnel, and has permitted the admissibility of “confessions” obtained through torture in proceedings against them. (c) the State has failed to conduct an effective investigation into these alleged acts of torture and ill-treatment and no diligent attempts have been made to hold anyone to account. 164. The facts of torture as contained in the complaints is that the SSI agents subjected the victims to repeated electrical shocks, beatings, prolonged hanging by the leg, binding and blindfolding aimed at their complete disorientation. 165. The Respondent State on the other hand submit that the investigations carried out by the Public Prosecutor established that it has conducted external check on the accused persons immediately when they were brought before it and that it was confirmed that they were free from any external injuries. The 85 Art. 1 CAT. 48