been in Soviet times, though without the official communist hostility. It did accomplish some expulsion of Western religious work, though it left room for some foreign churches to legitimately register. There had been on the order of 16,000 registered organizations before the passage of the law, and by 2004 there were 22,000. By regulating on grounds common among new, foreign organizations, it made it difficult for them to take root, and it succeeded in promoting and securing a privileged place for the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 22, 2005, debate of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) concluded, that the 1997 Law "creates a complex form of categorization of religions which has led to various forms of discrimination and to the stigmatization of 'non-traditional' religions." References See also Law of the Russian Federation Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality Freedom of Religion Separation of Church and State Law about religion in Russia Human rights in Russia Church and state law Freedom of religion 1997 in Russia 1997 in law 1997 in religion