- 59 121. However, in accordance with article 20, paragraph 5, of the Convention, the Committee may, after consultations with the State party concerned, decide to include a summary account of the results of the proceedings in its annual report to the States parties and to the General Assembly. 122. Such a summary account is herewith provided in connection with Sri Lanka. B. Summary account of the results of the proceedings concerning the inquiry on Sri Lanka 1. Introduction 123. Sri Lanka acceded to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 3 January 1994. At the time of accession it did not declare that it did not recognize the competence of the Committee provided for in article 20 of the Convention. The possibility of making such a declaration is provided for in article 28, paragraph 1, of the Convention. The procedure under article 20 is therefore applicable to Sri Lanka. 124. The confidential inquiry provided for in article 20 began in April 1999 and ended in May 2002. In accordance with article 20, paragraph 5, of the Convention, the Committee, after holding consultations with the State party concerned decided, at its twenty-eighth session, to include in its annual report to the General Assembly in 2002 the following summary of the results of the inquiry on Sri Lanka. 2. Development of the procedure 125. On 21 July 1998, five non-governmental organizations based in London, namely, the British Refugee Council, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, the Refugee Legal Centre, the Immigration Law Practitioners Association and the Refugee Legal Group, submitted information on alleged systematic practice of torture in Sri Lanka to the Committee. 126. The Committee examined the information received at its twenty-first session in November 1998. It concluded that the information was reliable and that it contained well-founded indications that torture was being systematically practised in the territory of Sri Lanka. In accordance with article 20, paragraph 1, of the Convention and rule 76 of its rules of procedure, the Committee decided to invite Sri Lanka to cooperate in its examination of the information and to submit observations in that regard by 1 February 1999. The Government of Sri Lanka submitted its observations on the date set by the Committee. 127. At its twenty-second session, from 26 April to 14 May 1999, the Committee, after having examined the observations made by the State party, reaffirmed that the information available to it provided well-founded indications that torture was being systematically practised in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, it decided to undertake an inquiry and to designate for that purpose Mr. Mavrommatis and Mr. Yu Mengjia. In communicating its decision, the Committee also requested the Government of Sri Lanka to agree to a visit of the two Committee members designated for the inquiry by January 2000.