The Catalan psychiatrist and researcher Pau Pérez Sales was appointed this Wednesday as the UN's special rapporteur on torture. He will thus become the world's leading authority on torture and other ill-treatment, with the responsibility of ensuring compliance with the Istanbul Protocol, which obliges governments to investigate and document cases of torture. Pérez Sales will therefore have to visit and engage with states, national and international institutions, and civil society organizations in order to formulate recommendations and present reports to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. His appointment is exceptional due to his profile and comes at a critical time of questioning international law and multilateralism.