The Writers in Prison Committee monitors the cases of over 900 writers who have been imprisoned , tortured , threatened , attacked , made to disappear , and killed for the peaceful practice of their profession . Established in 1960 in response to increasing attempts to silence voices of dissent by imprisoning writers , the Writers in Prison Committee monitors the cases of over 900 writers who have been imprisoned , tortured , threatened , attacked , made to disappear , and killed for the peaceful practice of their profession .